A Tale of Two Christmases
by KindredKandies
Summary: Post-Graduation.  The gang breaks down their first Christmas after leaving Roswell.
1. Chapter 1

**A Tale of Two Christmases**

**By: Kindred Kandies aka ArchAngel1973 in collaboration with Marsis**

**Disclaimer: **Characters and plot lines that appeared in the series, the books, and the concept of Roswell are not mine. Belong to Melinda Metz, UPN, etc, etc…

**Pairing: **M&M but will also feature M&L as well as Isabel and Kyle (not a couple)

**Rating: **Teen

**Summary: **Post-Graduation. The gang breaks down their first Christmas after leaving Roswell.

**Author's Note 1: **For Mag – Because we all need a little Christmas.

**Part 1**

The old mini-bus moved along the Interstate at a respectable 70mph, keeping pace with the slower traffic until they moved past the city limits and the number of cars on the road began to thin out. The man behind the wheel rolled his shoulders, trying to ease the tension that had intensified as soon as he had guided the bus onto the larger, well-traveled road. They rarely traveled by Interstate, preferring to stick to the older state highways and smaller county roads, but the road they had intended to take had been closed, leaving them no choice but to take the Interstate.

Blue and red lights suddenly flashed in the rearview mirror and his tension worsened. His grip on the steering wheel tightened and his heart started to pound as he flipped his turn signal on and began to ease into the right-hand lane. The Highway Patrol car sped up and blew past them to pull over another vehicle several hundred yards ahead of them.

"I hate how much it scares me anytime that happens."

Michael Guerin glanced at the woman who had spoken, wincing when the lights from the oncoming traffic illuminated her pale features. The momentary fear of discovery had caused every bit of color to drain from her face, leaving her cheeks washed out. He hated the way they had been forced to exist because they deserved better than this. _She_ deserved better than this. He glanced at the others in the rearview mirror, taking in the way they slept – restless and on edge. The stress of being on the road and constantly looking over their shoulders for the past six months had left them all exhausted, physically and mentally.

The sound of fabric rustling caught his attention and he turned his head to shoot a quick look at his girlfriend, Maria DeLuca. Her gaze was locked on some point in the distance and he reached over to lay his hand over hers where they were clenched in her lap. "How long before we can get off the Interstate?" he asked to distract her.

Maria glanced at the mile marker in the distance, squinting as it grew larger in the headlights. She had spent so much time studying road maps and their routes that she didn't need to consult the map to answer his question. "It's about 17 more miles to the exit." _And away from Highway Patrol and big city cops,_ she thought to herself.

She turned one of her hands over under his, interlocking their fingers and stroking the fingers of her free hand over the back of his hand. Her gaze dropped to the ice-encrusted snow that had built up along the sides of the road. Dirt and grime from the road had sprayed over the frozen edges, coating them with a grungy dark gray film that glittered in places when the headlights played over it.

Michael's thoughts were scrambling around as he watched the mile markers pass by. He silently cursed Jessie for saddling them with such a distinctive vehicle that was practically impossible to hide. _What the hell had he been thinking?_ He rubbed his eyes tiredly. _Who knew where they'd be if it hadn't been for Jessie's help?_ They should've ditched the bus long ago but they were short on money and it had just been easier to hold onto the albatross, changing the color and the license plate on a regular basis. It was a miracle they hadn't been pulled over for the faulty taillight before now. They had fixed the damn thing over and over and for whatever reason it continued to short out. He glanced at Maria, feeling even lower at the realization that with their current situation they would most likely have to steal an SUV or van to replace it… and he would be the one who carried that duty out. _Yeah,_ he thought once more, _she deserved so much more than this. _

His mind wandered back to a conversation with Maria way back in the beginning when they were just getting to know each other. It had been an unexpected conversation that had taken place in the most unlikely of places. His brow furrowed into a frown as he looked around at the frozen landscape surrounding them. _18 years old and on the run from a secret government unit that specialized in hunting down aliens… yeah, so much for 'better than Roswell, New Mexico,'_ he thought morosely.

Between the scowl on his face and the tension in his hand Maria knew his thoughts were dipping into dangerous territory. She increased the pressure she was applying to his hand and after several minutes she felt him relax fractionally. She didn't know what he was thinking about but she knew it would be one of about half a dozen things that kept his mind on edge and prevented him from ever really relaxing.

"The exit's coming up in two miles," she said unnecessarily when the lights bounced off of the sign posted next to the road.

Michael glanced at her and nodded. "We'll stop soon," he said when he noticed her shifting around as she searched for a more comfortable position.

She nodded. Usually when they stopped for the night it was at a campground, bunking down in the bus or in sleeping bags around a campfire, and every once in a while they would share one of the rustic cabins when available. It was only on rare occasions that they went to the expense of staying in a hotel and when they did, more often than not they shared one room. There was no privacy, no time to be alone with her thoughts, and she knew more about the others than she had ever wanted to know. There were just some things about your friends that you never wanted or needed to know. It was an intolerable existence being in such close quarters 24/7 and she knew she wasn't the only one who desperately wanted and needed time away from the others.

It was a given that tonight they would stay in a hotel. The temperatures in northeastern Michigan had dipped below freezing and the mercury was slowly creeping lower and lower. It was too cold to risk sleeping in the van unless they were driving and the campgrounds were closed for the year. Not that it mattered because it was too damn cold to be sleeping outside anyway.

Michael rubbed his eyes tiredly as he took the exit for Old 23 and started to follow it, his gaze searching the sides of the road. The moon had come out to shed its light over the barren snow-covered fields and the naked branches of the bordering trees cast long shadows across the road before them.

Maria turned her head to the side to look at Michael when he eased off of the gas just slightly and she looked away when he raised the hand she held to point at something ahead of them. She followed his pointing finger, gasping quietly when she saw a small group of deer on the side of the road. They raised their heads and the headlights caught their eyes, making them glow an iridescent green.

She knew he had slowed down on the off chance the deer did something really stupid like run across the road instead of out into the field, but he had brought them to her attention because he knew it would make her smile. "Look at the smaller ones," she said, her voice hushed as she pointed to a couple of younger deer farther back from the road.

Their ears flicked as the van approached them and they turned, tails standing straight up to reveal the white undersides as they disappeared past the trees. She leaned back in her seat again, cradling his hand against her body and unconsciously rubbing his knuckles. She shifted to pull her pillow up from where it had become wedged between her body and the door. _Thankfully at least the side that had been pressed against her body was warm,_ she thought as she squished it between her shoulder and the door and wiggled around in an effort to get comfortable.

Michael glanced over his shoulder when a hand settled on his arm and one eyebrow lifted when he saw Kyle blinking blearily at him.

"When're we stoppin'?" he mumbled sleepily. He pressed the button on the side of his watch to illuminate the dial and squinted in an attempt to make out the numbers. "It's after 9pm, Michael. I thought we agreed to stop before now? We're gonna pay for an entire night and not get our money's worth."

"Are you drivin'?" Michael asked. "No. We stop when I say we stop."

Kyle motioned to the road sign coming up. "There's somethin' comin' up… city or town, whatever. Why not just stop there?" He rolled his eyes when the hybrid ignored him, feeling it was unnecessary to explain his decision any further. He was tired, his back hurt from sleeping in the uncomfortable, pretzel-like position for the past couple of hours and he just wanted to be horizontal for the rest of the night. He slouched back in his seat, glancing at Isabel where she was curled up on most of the bench seat. She had won the coin toss for the privilege of lying down and even though he'd never be able to prove it he was pretty sure she had cheated.

He sighed as he rested his head against his jacket where he had wedged it between the end of the backrest and the window and folded his arms over his chest. He tried in vain to stretch his legs out and he finally gave up, unintentionally kneeing Michael in the back when he tried to resituate himself. "Sorry," he muttered before the guy went off on him. They were all exhausted and these days it didn't take much to set any of them off. The last thing he wanted was to get into a fight with Michael. Especially in the confines of the bus. That would just spark off a group argument and those were never fun.

He looked up when the headlights bounced off of an upcoming sign and he pursed his lips as he studied the name of the city that was 8 miles away: Tawas City. "Hmm," he murmured to himself. "Tah-wass… Tuh-wass… Tah-wuz… Tuh-wuz…" He suddenly grinned to himself. "Ta'was two weeks before Christmas, and we're stuck in the van. Not a hybrid was moving – "

"Except for Isabel's hand," the tall blonde growled crankily and smacked the back of his head. "People are trying to sleep, Kyle, so zip it."

He rubbed his stinging scalp and burrowed closer to his side of the bus. "Fine, smack a guy around for tryin' to find some humor in this situation."

Isabel squeezed her eyes shut and forced his voice into the background. She craved normalcy the way someone stranded in the desert craved water to sate their thirst. There was no such thing on the road but unlike the thirsty person in the desert who would resort to swallowing sand in the belief that it was water, she had accepted that normal would never happen. Not for them.

Michael's jaw relaxed when Kyle and Isabel settled down once more before one of them just went off on the other. He checked the rearview mirror to see if their minor skirmish had disturbed the couple sleeping behind them and was relieved to see that they seemed to be as relaxed as they were capable of being these days.

Even Max and Liz were on edge all the time and being on the run had worn them down, disrupted the connection between them. While he tended to scoff at the idiocy of getting married at their age he knew early on it had given them something to hold onto. Lately, they had fallen prey to the same problems that plagued the rest of them. The stress of the existence they had been forced to endure for the past six months was wearing all of them down and slowly but surely tearing them apart. Individually, as couples, and as a group.

The miles flew past as he maneuvered the bus through Tawas City and just the slightest hint of a smile touched his lips as he thought about Kyle's ill-timed, made-up song. The road expanded into four lanes as they drove through the city and finally tapered back down to two when they left the city behind. He rubbed his eyes again, trying to ignore the grainy feeling that let him know he hadn't slept in too long. _Only a few more miles and we'll stop,_ he reminded himself. He had grown accustomed to seeking out small roadside hotels; mom-and-pop stops that provided a certain sense of anonymity and made him feel a little more comfortable when they stopped. Big hotel chains asked for too much information and he didn't feel the need for a shower and a comfortable bed outweighed the risk.

The city lights had disappeared from the rearview mirror as soon as they had gone around a curve in the road and as the tires ate up the miles the night seemed to get darker. They had only gone about four or five miles when the van suddenly jerked backward with a loud metal on metal sound that seemed to come from something dragging on the pavement behind them.

Isabel, who was already annoyed by Kyle's earlier interruption shot bolt upright, grabbing the back of the seat in front of her to keep from falling on the floor. "God, Michael! I told you to take it easy on the potholes!" _I hate the roads in this State,_ she thought as the realization that he hadn't bothered to respond started to sink in. "What happened?" she demanded.

"What's wrong?" Max asked, sounding half-asleep. The loud noise had brought him upright, but his brain hadn't quite caught up with his body. "Did we hit somethin'?"

Beside him, Liz rolled her eyes as she sat up, rubbing her neck and turning her head back and forth to work the stiffness out of it. "Where are we?"

"We're…" Isabel glanced around. "That's a good question, Michael." She couldn't ignore the colorful curses coming out of his mouth. She didn't know if they were directed at her or the mini-bus, but it quickly became unimportant when she noticed the white fields surrounding them, the blacktop the only thing seeming to divide the endless sea of white. "You've dumped us in the middle of arctic hell, Michael!"

"I think you're mixing your metaphors or somethin', Isabel," Kyle said helpfully only to earn an angry glare and a shove.

"Choke on a fortune cookie, Kyle," she snapped.

He just grinned at her because he knew it would make her a lot madder than if he argued with her. "Well, that'd be irony, wouldn't it?"

Michael cursed under his breath as he guided the now decelerating and out-of-power van off onto the side of the road. It rolled to a stop amid the sounds of confusion and the expected interrogation from the biggest backseat driver he'd ever known. He'd thought Maria was bad about that, but that was only until he'd spent time in the drivers' seat with Miss Know-It-All shouting instructions at him like he'd never sat behind a steering wheel before.

Silence fell over the occupants in the bus as they stared out at the snowy landscape illuminated by the headlights. Michael felt Maria's gaze on him as his hand curled over the door handle and he jerked it, shoving the door open and climbing out. He pulled his coat on and hurried to zip it up, pausing when he realized that no one else was rushing to get out. He stalked over to the window next to Kyle and rapped his knuckles against the glass, motioning for him to get out of the bus.

Kyle was in the process of tying the laces on his work boots and he turned to glare at the impatient hybrid, shooting the finger at him when Michael gestured for him to hurry up. He was bundling up in his less than adequate coat when the passengers' side door opened and he knew Michael was going to blow a gasket. He and Max collided as they reached the side door at the same time and then engaged in a shoving match to get the door open.

Michael barreled around the front of the bus when the moonlight reflected off of the mirror and drew his attention to the woman exiting the bus. "Maria, what the hell are you doin'?" He took her arm and carefully pushed her back inside. "It's too cold for you to be out here." He slammed the door before she could get the first word of protest out and he held his hand over the locking mechanism, sealing it so she couldn't get out.

He grabbed the handle for the side door, jerking it open and shoving it back. He jumped back when Kyle and Max fell out, landing in the snow and grabbing onto each other to stumble back to their feet. "Go check the engine, Valenti."

"God, it's freezing out here!" Max hissed when the wind picked up, blowing a dusting of snow over them. He looked out at the road, watching the way the snow seemed to move over the blacktop in gentle waves and he shivered. "Let's hurry this up." He shoved his hands in his coat pockets and hunched his shoulders against the wind as he followed the others to the rear of the vehicle.

Kyle fumbled for the latch to release the engine cover, his fingers already feeling frozen and clumsy. "Ya know, I'm livin' in close quarters with three aliens who are completely inept when it comes to mechanics." He grunted when the latch started to give. "You guys are useless in this capacity." He pulled his hand back inside the cuff of his sleeve, using his material-covered hand to lift it up.

They crouched down in a half-circle around the exposed engine and Michael held the cover open while Max held the flashlight he had brought with him. Kyle brought his hands up to his mouth to blow on them for a few seconds before he reached inside and started fumbling around. He fiddled around for several minutes, pausing every few seconds to pull his hands up inside his sleeves and trying to heat them with his breath.

"Whose idea was it to head up to the great white North again?" Max muttered, hands covered by the cuffs on his sleeves and tucked up under his armpits.

"Max, I need the toolbox and since my knees are just about frozen in this position and Michael's over here impersonating an ice sculpture maybe you could go get it." He was grateful when Max went to get the toolbox before Michael started going off on him. He was shifting in an attempt to stand and restore some circulation to his lower legs when Michael suddenly let go of the engine cover, nearly braining him with it. He opened his mouth to yell but before a single word made it past his throat Michael was talking and he turned his head to see Maria approaching them.

"I told you to stay in the van."

"While you stand out here and freeze? No, I'm not the little woman who needs to be coddled and protected. I will not be told to wait inside while you – "

"Maria, we've gotta see if we can fix this so we can get back on the road." He glared at her when she had the audacity to snort.

"Fix it? The last time you attempted to fix an engine you fried the battery and humiliated yourself. It'd be safer for everyone concerned if you just step away from the engine before it goes up in smoke."

The sound of laughter had his head snapping to the side and he frowned at Kyle when the guy caught his dark look and started to cough in an attempt to cover his humor. "Choke on it, Valenti," he snarled as he took Maria's hand to pull her back to the front of the bus. "Let's go, Maria."

Between the temperature and the wind that blew from time to time Maria felt like a block of ice. Getting back in the bus felt like a really good idea but only if he understood it was her idea.

"I'm not gonna stand out here an' argue with you about this all night, Maria. Now let's go!" he snapped.

She almost felt bad for testing him because he was tired and irritable but she wasn't going to be bullied or bossed around. Not even when it was in her best interest. She could almost feel his annoyance notching up when the wind chose that moment to blow and she visibly shivered as it hit her skin like thousands of tiny daggers.

Michael jerked the door open and motioned for her to hurry up and get inside. He harrumphed when she climbed up inside after informing him – through chattering teeth – that she was only getting inside because she'd had enough of the cold. He shook his head and started to stalk to the back of the bus. _Women!_ he muttered silently. _What went through their minds when – oh, shit!_ It was as far as his thoughts got between his heel finding a slick spot and his back hitting the asphalt.

His right hand shot up in the air when he heard the door open, the gesture and the expression on his face one that would warn anyone else off. _But not Maria._ He sighed when she helped him to his feet, running her hands over him to determine if anything was broken or if he'd injured more than his pride.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Maria," he bit out. "You've had a cold the last few days, now get inside before you catch pneumonia."

"Are you sure you're okay?" she asked when he brushed her hands off.

"Maria." The irritation was still there but it was the concern for her laced beneath it that had her nodding and getting back inside. He crouched back down beside the guys in time to hear five words that didn't improve his mood.

"I think the engine's shot."

"That's just perfect." Michael thumped the side of one fisted hand against the useless vehicle and cursed loudly. "Freakin' fantastic."

"What the hell are we gonna do now?" Max asked, standing up and shoving his hands back in his pockets.

Kyle hunched his shoulders and ducked his head in an effort to avoid the worst of the snow when the wind blew. "I'd suggest getting outta the wind."

"What's the verdict?" Liz asked when the guys climbed back inside. She jumped when Kyle dropped the heavy toolbox on the floor. "I take it that's not a good sign."

"Kyle thinks the engine's shot," Max said, tucking his hands under his thighs to warm them up.

"Well, what're we supposed to do now?" Isabel demanded. "We're in the middle of nowhere!"

Michael knew it fell to him to answer her question because he was the one who had decided on the route they had been taking. "We'll just walk to the next house – "

"It's below freezing out there!"

"Are there any other glaringly obvious facts you'd like to point out, Isabel?" he snapped. "I'm aware of how cold it is outside, but no engine means no heat. We can't just stay here; we're gonna have to find someplace warm to stay until we can have this piece of crap looked at."

Maria had been rubbing his hands, trying to warm them up. "Have you seen any houses since we got out of the city?"

He shook his head. "Not that I noticed, but as late as it is…" he shook his head. "If there were any houses the lights were already out."

"How close are we to the city?" Isabel asked.

He shook his head. "I don't know, four or five miles at least. Too far to attempt walking back. Goin' forward makes the most sense. We're bound to have better luck that way. If we keep movin' we should be okay."

"We don't have the proper clothing for this weather," Isabel reminded him.

"Would you rather sit here and freeze to death?" he snapped.

"Michael's right," Max said, interrupting the storm that was about to break. "We're just gonna have to bundle up as well as we can and start walkin'."


	2. Chapter 2

**Part 2**

There was just the dimmest glimmer of light on the east side of the highway as they started their trek and they agreed to head towards it. They hadn't been prepared for this type of weather, at least not as far as getting out and facing the elements. Inside the mini-bus was one thing but outside was a different story. They were huddled up inside of their sleeping bags, the bulky material wrapped around their bodies and providing little protection against the bite of the freezing wind blowing out of the north.

The wind whistled through the trees as the group carefully made their way along the side of the highway. They had been walking for nearly half an hour when Isabel spotted the lights up ahead. They had lost sight of the light they were following when they had reached a slight dip in the road but it reappeared when they stepped over the rise. Multi-colored bulbs outlined the roof of a house in the distance and she elbowed Michael and nodded when he glanced at her.

He made a quick motion to let her know he had understood and he pulled Maria closer against his side. He could feel her shaking as they approached the mailbox standing at the end of the driveway like a frozen sentry guarding its post. He glanced at the name but couldn't make it out with the snow covering most of it.

Maria lifted her head just enough to look up at the house when the lights reflecting off of the snow caught her attention. _Christmas,_ she mused. _Funny, it seemed so distant. Or maybe she was the one who was so distant. Was it like that for all of them? Christmas was only two weeks away and she couldn't recall any of them mentioning it._ She stumbled and was thankful when Michael's arm tightened around her and kept her from making an upside-down snow angel.

Michael glanced at the weathered sign hanging from one of the beams over the railing: Welcome to Stevens' Sanctuary on the Lake, Est. 1987. He reached out and shoved Liz forward. "Go knock on the door." He shivered a shrug when Max glared at him. "She looks the youngest and the least threatening," he mumbled.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The distant sound of knuckles rapping against the front door disturbed Julia Stevens' sleep and roused her just enough to make her open her eyes and glance around. Silence once again settled and she strained to hear it again and just as she had decided it was her imagination she heard it again. She glanced at her sleeping husband, rolling her eyes when the knocking became more insistent and he still didn't move.

"Edward, are you asleep?"

She waited.

"Did you hear that?"

And waited a bit more.

"Edward! I think someone's on the front porch!"

Edward rolled over and snuffled loudly. "I don't hear – " Loud knocking interrupted him before he could finish and his eyes snapped open. "I heard that though."

On their way into the living room he stopped long enough to grab his shotgun and the shells. He leaned it up against the wall to the right of the door as he reached out and flipped the switch for the floodlight, temporarily blinding whoever was on the other side of the door.

Julia inhaled sharply when she peered through the window next to the door and she saw the group huddled around the front door. Edward's intention with the floodlight had produced the desired effect; they were blinking rapidly and looking away, trying to regain their sight that the flash of bright light had taken from them. She glanced from one bundled figure to the next, her eyes taking in the weary expressions and their shaking bodies. "Oh, Edward, they're just kids! For God's sake it's freezing out there, open the door!"

He opened the door cautiously, turning on the porch light and killing the floodlight. His gaze moved over them one by one, frowning at the use of sleeping bags as protection against the winter weather. Their clothes were of little use against the temperatures and wind and he wondered why they were out in this weather dressed as they were.

He paused when his eyes landed on the taller kid standing at the back of the group. There was something about him that made him stand apart from the others. He was unsmiling, his face set in a determined scowl, but it was the way the boy watched him as if taking stock of the situation that had his attention. His eyes lowered to the girl held against the boy's body and he noticed the way he had his coat opened up and wrapped around her, his gesture and expression protective. The girl was pale and visibly shaking in spite of what little warmth she was getting from the boy.

Edward's gaze finally came to rest on the two girls standing at the front of the little group and he wondered how these people came to be traveling together. The girls couldn't have been more different. One tall, blonde, and obviously the one most used to getting what she wanted. The other was short, brunette, and likely the smartest one in the group. _Book smart,_ he amended silently just as she opened her mouth to stutter out an explanation for their presence.

"Our van… b-b-broke… d-down and we – "

"Edward, bring them inside," Julia insisted, not needing to hear anymore. She poked him and motioned to the shotgun resting against the wall before hissing, "And put that thing away!" She ushered the kids into the living room as they filed inside, their movements stiff from the bitter cold.

"So, where're you kids from?" he asked. "And what're you doin' up here?"

"Miami," Maria piped up, her voice slightly shaky.

"We were on our way to Lake S-S-Superior State University to visit a f-f-friend for the holiday since he couldn't m-make it home," Liz answered, ignoring Michael when he leveled a gaze at her that could've melted steel.

"Uh-huh," Edward repeated, eyes slightly narrowed. "Where's the university?"

"Sault Sainte Marie," Maria rasped tiredly. _Staring at maps for hours on end really did have its advantages._

"Right," he said slowly when her pronunciation had it sounding like _Salt_ Sainte Marie instead of _Soo_ Sainte Marie. "Most people stay in hotels when they're travelin'."

Julia saw right through the paper-thin story and quickly decided it didn't matter. "Oh, Edward," she said with a warm laugh, "don't you remember back when we were dating and we got into your old '79 Mustang and drove all over the place? We slept in state campgrounds for a week before we finally shelled out cash for a hotel room."

"Well…" He nodded, dropping the line of questioning when she motioned to the wood burning stove.

She was pushing the couches closer to the wood burning stove when the smaller blonde's knees buckled and the boy with her quickly caught her and lifted her up in his arms.

Edward immediately moved to add wood to keep the fire burning but his gaze followed the tall kid, watching his every move as he carried the girl across the room and ever so gently lay her down on the couch closest to the heat.

Maria reached out to Michael, placing her hand on his arm. "I'm okay, just tired and cold," she tried to reassure him.

His worried expression didn't ease, the frown line between his eyebrows deepening when she started to shake in earnest. He glanced up when someone reached past him and he relaxed fractionally when he saw that it was just Liz.

"She's warm, Michael." She gave a slight roll of her eyes when he brushed her hand aside to check Maria's forehead for himself. "She's been fighting off a cold for the past few days but I think she might have a fever."

"Edward, go and get extra blankets from the hall closet," Julia ordered, rushing him out of the room and following him. She hurried into the kitchen to put the kettle on and turned to get the tea when she bumped into her husband.

"That story wasn't true."

"No, it was pretty flimsy. But does it really matter? For whatever reason they ended up on our doorstep and it's easy to see they need a little TLC." She waved him out of the room. "Now go get those blankets. Those poor kids need to warm up."

In the living room Michael was still on edge as he studied their surroundings, quickly locating every entrance into the room and mentally mapping potential escapes. "We need to call a tow truck," he said as he sat on the edge of the couch next to Maria, holding her hands between his and rubbing them to warm them up. "We can't leave that piece of crap out there on the road all night." He glanced at Maria, checking her forehead once again as she dozed restlessly.

"You're not gonna get a tow this late," Edward said as he came back into the room, laden down with a stack of blankets.

"Don't really wanna get a ticket for it bein' out there either," he muttered. He glanced up when the older man paused beside him to offer a couple of the blankets.

"The one time I needed a cop out here it took an hour an' a half to find one. Besides, as long as you're pulled off of the road and you're not hindering traffic no one's gonna bother your vehicle. I'm Edward, by the way. Edward Stevens."

Max found his voice and he introduced each of them in turn as he rubbed his hands together over the wood burning stove.

"Guess when you kids were plannin' your trip up here you forgot to check the weather report," he said with a slight smile. He nodded when not a single one of them blinked at his suspicious tone. "Well, not to worry. We'll put you up for the night. You boys can bunk down here in the livin' room and the girls can sleep in the den. It's actually an office but we've got a queen-sized futon in there that they can share."

Liz smiled and nodded. "We can move Maria in there – "

"No," Michael interrupted. "She stays where I can keep an eye on 'er." She wasn't feeling good and he needed to be close by if she needed anything. He kicked at the sleeping bag lying on the floor next to his right foot. "I'll sleep on the floor next to her."

"I think that'll be just fine," Julia said as she came back with a tray of mugs filled with tea and hot chocolate. "Edward, I'll go get that futon ready. Why don't you grab some fresh towels and washcloths from the storeroom. You kids would probably enjoy a nice hot shower to help you thaw out and relax. It might make sleeping in a strange place a little easier too," she said with a warm smile.

The couple finished getting things sorted out and by the time they turned out the lights and left their guests to sleep it was well after midnight. Julia paused in the doorway, watching the moonlight play over their young faces and she wondered about the circumstances that had brought them to their door. They couldn't be more than 18 or 19 years old but they were bone-weary and seemed to be carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders. _It didn't matter,_ she decided. They had been brought to their door for a reason. It wasn't necessary that she understand it, just that she did what she felt was right in her heart. And her heart was telling her that these kids had wound up on their doorstep because they needed help.

"Julia," Edward called quietly, drawing her attention. Her mothering instincts were in overdrive and he knew the wheels were already turning. After 15 years of marriage he knew her well and by morning she would know what needed to be done.

She turned and nodded before casting one last glance over the bundled figures sleeping around the living room. She had her faith and she knew the answer would come to her in time. She joined her husband and as they settled under the covers she knew he wouldn't sleep much with their unexpected company sleeping under the same roof.

Michael released the breath he hadn't realized he had been holding when he heard a door close and he slowly sat up, reaching up to gently stroke Maria's cheek. He was relieved to realize that she felt a little cooler than she had earlier. Julia had given Maria something for the cold and he determined that it must be working.

"Get some sleep, Michael," Max rasped tiredly from the sleeping bag lying in front of the other couch.

"We need to keep watch," Michael insisted. "They seem nice enough but we don't know them and they could turn around and call the cops at any time."

"I'll take the first watch. I got some sleep earlier while you were drivin'."

"Yeah," Kyle whispered as he rolled onto his side on the second couch. "Me too, so I'll take second watch. Get some shuteye, Guerin. You wanna be at your best if she needs you," he said, knowing that would be the best way to get Michael to get some sleep.

"Alright, but we take short shifts. None of us need to take watch for too long. We're all beat."

"My vote's the same. El Presidente takes first watch an' I'll take the next one. We'll take good care of her, El Capitan," Kyle said and raised his hand in a sloppy salute.

Michael grunted and settled down again, his back against the floor reminding him of all the nights he had spent sleeping next to Max' bed after a fight with Hank. _No need to get lost in those memories,_ he thought. Turning them loose on his exhausted mind was just a recipe for disaster. He shoved them back into the little box in the back of his mind and let his eyes drift shut.

Max lay awake long after the others had fallen asleep, his eyes locked on his wedding ring as he twisted it on his finger. They needed a break from the road. _A break from each other,_ he thought as his thumb brushed over a nick in the band from the time his hand had gotten slammed in the door of the mini-bus.

He sighed as he wondered if there was a way for them to hide out and stay off of the road, even for a little while. The close proximity was creating distance between them and tensions were running higher than usual. Arguments between two of them quickly escalated into group arguments because there was no privacy and it was hard to carry on an argument with one other person with everyone else around. It was only a matter of time before the others got involved and from there it just went downhill.

His gaze moved around the room, pausing when he noticed the swath of moonlight that came through the window to illuminate the hand-carved cross on the wall. He had told Liz once that he didn't believe in God but sometimes he couldn't help but wonder. There had been several close calls since they had escaped Roswell and a couple of times he hadn't had an explanation for how they had managed to elude their pursuers and escape capture. He rubbed his eyes and grumbled under his breath when Kyle started to snore softly. He relaxed slightly at the sound and he chuckled quietly at the realization that the sound was something that indicated normalcy in his life now.


	3. Chapter 3

**Part 3**

Julia was quietly making breakfast the next morning when the sound of feet pounding down the stairs caught her attention. _Good Lord Almighty, it sounded like a herd of elephants coming down the stairs!_ She shushed her boys when they ran into the kitchen and over to the counter.

13-year-old Brian just rolled his eyes as he pulled down a bowl. "We're not that loud, Mom."

"Dad's sleepin' late, doofus," 12-year-old Eddie reminded him with an elbow shot to his ribs. "The resort's closed for the holidays."

Brian shrugged his shoulders and headed over to the kitchen table, plopping himself down into his usual chair and pouring a bowl of cereal. "C'mon, Friday, get here already," he muttered under his breath.

"Almost time to start countin' down the days 'til Christmas vacation!" Eddie chimed in. "I sooo can't wait."

Julia turned around to look at the boys when she realized she hadn't heard the voice of her youngest. "Okay, you two, where's your sister?" At five years old, little Maggie was the baby of the family. She was an inquisitive child by nature and for her to be absent and silent at the same time usually meant she was up to something.

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Michael stirred when he felt something brush across his cheek. He grumbled and turned his face away when Maria's voice murmured his name and his eyes opened to focus on his surroundings. "M'ria?" he croaked as he studied her features. Her green eyes were clear and smiling as she looked down at him, and he reached up to cup her cheek. _No fever._

"Michael, we have little people company," she whispered, smiling.

He tipped his head back, staring up at the little blond-haired, blue-eyed girl staring down at him curiously. She held a stuffed polar bear tightly against her body and Michael blew out a breath to move the fringe of the offending stuffed animal's green and white snowflake scarf away from his face.

Maria rolled her aching shoulders and turned toward the little girl who didn't look the least bit afraid of her big, bad Spaceboy guard. She was about to say hello to her when a boy stepped into the room and she immediately saw the resemblance between the children.

"C'mon, Maggie, Mom says to come an' eat breakf…" Brian's eyes locked onto the stranger's as he sat up and the boy didn't lower his gaze as he crossed the room in a few quick strides. He reached down to clasp his sister's hand, giving her a gentle but insistent tug. "C'mon, y'know we don't talk to strangers."

Maria hid a smile when Michael smirked at the kid, recognizing it as a sign of respect for the boy watching over his little sister.

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Edward was still bleary-eyed as he stumbled into the kitchen earlier than he had anticipated. His plans for some alone time with Julia had been disrupted when he had woken and remembered that they had half a dozen unexpected guests sleeping in various rooms.

"You should've stayed in bed longer," Julia said, her eyes twinkling as she reached up the pinch his chin between her thumb and forefinger.

He grunted at her comment, ambling up behind her when the aroma of breakfast cooking finally registered. His favorite pancakes with sliced bananas and the cinnamon syrup she made just for him. He knew without looking she would have cereal out for the kids and eggs if they wanted them.

He glanced at his youngest boy when he heard the annoying sound of a spoon dragging across the bottom of a bowl.

"Mornin', Dad," Eddie greeted as he wiped milk off of his chin.

"I'll be right back," Julia said on her way out of the kitchen. She walked into the living room to find the kids, nudging her oldest when his staring contest with one of their guests bordered on being rude. "Breakfast is ready, kids. Brian, the bus will be here for you and Eddie any minute so the two of you need to get a move on. She turned to hurry back to the kitchen and bumped into her husband.

Edward followed her when she walked back to the stove to resume the last of the breakfast preparations. His arms came around her waist and he rested his chin on her shoulder as he pulled her close from behind, watching her flip the pancakes and put that last sizzle on the cooking sausage. He was contemplating the time and how much longer it would be before the kids left for school and how long before the tow truck arrived. He smiled when his wife turned in his arms with an all-knowing smile that had their 13-year-old making gagging noises as he entered the room with his sister trailing along behind him.

"Mom," Brian complained, "it's still a couple minutes before the bus gets here." _Hadn't his parents figured out yet that stuff like this just totally grossed out everyone around them? Ungh, seeing his parents like this was just too much and sooo not right!_

"And you're still not ready yet are you?" she asked with a smile.

"So, where'd all the new faces come from, Dad?"

"They got stranded last night when their vehicle broke down," Edward answered. He looked down when his daughter cleared her throat in an effort to be noticed. He smiled and crouched down so that he was at eye level and he reached out to tap his forefinger against the little black nose of her beloved stuffed toy. "How're you an' Miss Cindy Bear doin' this mornin'?" he asked with a smile.

Julia was finishing with breakfast and setting it out when she heard the first signs of movement from their guests.

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Michael rubbed his eyes as he looked around, glancing at the windows when he realized that the light in the room came from a lamp and not sunlight. He was surprised to see that it was still dark outside as he crawled out of the sleeping bag. _Morning was one thing,_ he thought. _This was still night time. Perfect for going out and checking on the van and then getting that tow arranged though._ He leaned over and gently kissed Maria, fingertips brushing against her cheek as he pulled back. "You should go an' eat breakfast."

"Wait," Maria said as she grabbed a handful of his shirt to keep him close to her. "Where're you going?" She pointed to the window. "The sun isn't even up yet."

He pried her fingers from his shirt and got up to search for the pair of military surplus boots he had been wearing the night before. He was shrugging into his jacket when he stubbed his toe on the heel of one of the boots where it rested in front of the couch.

Maria bit her lips as she sat up, trying to keep from laughing at him when she saw the effort he was making to hold back the expletive that wanted so badly to escape.

"I'm gonna call for a tow and go wait for it out by the van," he gritted out through clenched teeth.

Maria sighed and pulled her feet up to tuck them under the blanket. She knew the only time he stopped pushing himself was if it was affecting her. "Michael, at least eat breakfast first."

"Maria…"

"Michael…"

They both fell silent for a moment, simply looking at each other and seeing the reflection of stubbornness looking back at them.

"C'mon, I've seen you wolf down a meal in ten minutes flat," she cajoled.

He shook his head and sat down to pull his boots on. "I'll eat after this's taken care of." He looked up from lacing them up when she suddenly stood and started moving around the room. "Maria, what're you doin'?"

"Lookin' for my jacket and shoes. You know how this works. If you won't eat, I won't eat. I'm going with you."

He scowled. "This isn't up for discussion."

Kyle rolled over in his sleeping bag on the couch, groaning as he peered over the edge to look at them. "Would you just give it up already, Guerin? The rest of us would like to snooze a little longer." He rubbed a hand over his face as he added, "Besides, it's not like that sardine can is goin' anywhere."

Max woke up and wished he could go right back to sleep when he heard the conversation going on around him. "Did someone say somethin' 'bout pancakes?" he asked groggily.

Michael was on the verge of replying to Max's obvious attempt at redirecting them when their host walked into the room. His mouth snapped shut and he shifted to position himself between Maria and the other man.

"The tow will be here in about an hour, and breakfast is ready."

His gaze studied the older man, gauging his tone and checking his demeanor. For a moment he was thrown back in time to another warm, comfortable home and another man who had been there to help him, and he nodded in response. "Thank you, sir."

Edward just smirked. "Don't thank me yet. My Julia's been cookin' all mornin' like it's Christmas Day. If we don't get in there an' eat it while it's hot…"

Maria stood up and smiled at the man. "Thank you, we'll be right there." She waited until Edward had left them alone before she reached for Michael's shirt, taking hold of it and pulling him to his feet.

_He knew when he had lost but that didn't mean he had to be graceful about it,_ he thought as he kicked Max's leg when they passed him. He leaned over and let his palm rest on the foot of Kyle's sleeping bag for a moment and within seconds Kyle was fighting with the zipper and cursing under his breath. He finally freed himself and rolled off of the couch, landing on Max.

Max grunted at the unexpected weight and he shoved Kyle off of him. "What are you doin'?"

"Mornin' to you too, El Presidente."

They both looked up in time to see Michael being pulled in the direction of the savory smell of breakfast cooking and their own stomachs began to grumble.

"When's the last time you remember wakin' up nice an' warm with that smell in the air?" Max wondered aloud.

"You wanna do somethin' about the alien itching powder voodoo El Capitan just infested my bag with?" Kyle asked as he scratched his arms.

Max chuckled and handled Kyle's request before getting up and straightening up after himself.

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Liz stretched languorously, enjoying the rarity of waking up in an actual bed. Okay, it was technically a futon, but why argue semantics? It was warm and comfortable, the scent of what was sure to be a mouth-watering breakfast wafted through the air, and for a moment everything felt normal. The only thing missing was her husband hogging the bed and the covers. She smiled at that thought and opened her eyes when she heard a disgusted groan coming from less than a foot away.

Isabel was lying next to her with a disgruntled look on her face. "Sharing a bed with you is bad enough… do not share any of the thoughts you were just having about my brother."

"Since when do we share on that level?" Liz countered.

The two girls exchanged a look before answering at the same time: "Never." They laughed quietly as Isabel got up and raised her arms over her head to stretch before going to investigate the bathroom situation. She had fallen asleep the night before while Liz had taken advantage of the shower and now she desperately wanted a hot shower.

Liz took a few minutes to make herself presentable before quietly opening the door and stepping out into the hall. When Julia had come by to let them know breakfast would be ready soon she had said the guys were still asleep. She glanced into the living room and was disappointed to see that Max was already up and presumably with the others in the kitchen.

She glanced up when two boys, maybe teenagers, ran to the front door, pushing and shoving each other while trying to pull it open. It was impossible to tell which of them won and she shivered when a blast of cold air swept over her before the door slammed shut. A look out through the window revealed a school bus waiting in the dark at the end of the driveway and she wondered what time it was. She went looking for Max, following her nose and the sound of voices until she reached the kitchen doorway. She paused there, her gaze passing over Kyle, Maria, Michael and the couple who had graciously taken them in. She smiled at the little blonde-haired girl clutching some sort of white stuffed animal with one hand and eating with the other while talking.

Her gaze shifted to her husband, watching him as he focused so intently on the little girl and the way she interacted with her parents. It wasn't the first time she had seen him like this and it sent her thoughts drifting to last Christmas and another child that had captured his attention in such an all-consuming way.

For a moment she was back in the Crashdown, sitting around a table with her friends talking about volunteering while Michael tossed out acerbic comments about the holiday, doing his best to get a rise out of Isabel. She could almost feel that sense of discomfort that had washed over her when Samuel had walked up to their table and called Max 'Daddy' after staring at him for a while. He had become convinced that his son was trying to contact him through Samuel, seeing signs in everything he did. The way Max had involved himself in the family's life for several days after that had concerned her and she had worried about his obsession with the little boy.

Her heart sank as she watched her husband, wondering if he was aware that he was staring at the little girl. How long would it be before their hosts noticed it and that uncomfortable moment settled over the table?


	4. Chapter 4

**Part 4**

Max was oblivious to everyone else in the room as he watched Maggie carry on a conversation with her stuffed animal. She was a friendly child and she had introduced 'Cindy' the polar bear to each of them as breakfast had been served. She conversed with the toy and he had quickly realized that she spoke for Cindy, giving voice to her own questions through the bear. He smiled when she lifted the bear up and held it close to her ear, listening to imaginary whispers of conversation from the apparently shy toy.

He was fascinated with her and he couldn't stop the questions that were bombarding him. It happened every time he observed children and the way they interacted with their parents and the world around them. When he had given his son up he had also given up a piece of his heart and soul and he was plagued by questions… and guilt.

What were his son's adoptive parents like? Did he have a dad who spent time with him, who was involved with him and who would teach him everything he needed to know? His gaze lowered to the stuffed toy 'talking' to Maggie and he wondered if his son had a favorite toy and what it was. Did he have a mother who would hold him when he was hurt, soothe his nightmares and love him unconditionally? He would never have the answers to his questions because he knew he could never risk endangering his son's life by trying to find him.

He glanced up when he felt his wife's gaze on him and he mentally shook himself free of his thoughts. Since they had left Roswell he had been so careful to hide how much he missed his son because he didn't want to burden Liz with his pain. He tried to keep his focus on them or on her while keeping that part of him buried. He smiled at her when she sat down in the empty chair between him and the little girl.

Maggie lifted her head to look at the pretty girl sitting down next to her and while the adults were all exchanging 'good mornings' she lifted Cindy up to her ear once more. "Cindy likes your ring," she said, her free hand unconsciously creeping along the edge of the table.

"Does she?" Liz smiled and glanced at her rings. "Oh, that's so sweet."

Max leaned around his wife to look at the child. "Maggie, this's Liz. She's my wife." His gaze moved to Liz. "She's a little bit shy," he said quietly before stretching his hand out to gently touch the stuffed animal. "This's Miss Cindy the Bear, she's Maggie's friend."

The little girl turned her head to look at Mama's hand where it rested on the table next to her and she stared at the rings there for a moment. "You have rings like Mama an' Daddy."

"Maggie, it's about time for your bus. You need to finish eating so you have time to get into your coat, leggings and boots," Julia said, distracting Edward from the reaction she knew was coming in response to their daughter's announcement.

"I'm finished, Mama," she said as she slid down off of her chair.

"Alright, go get ready and Daddy will walk you out."

She was back in minutes, all bundled up and ready for the walk down the driveway. "C'mon, Daddy, we gotta go 'fore the bus comes."

Edward wiped his mouth with his napkin and nodded. "Alright, give Miss Cindy Bear a kiss and put her in her chair so she can watch for your bus this afternoon." He stood to follow her out of the room and paused when she suddenly stopped in front of him.

Maggie was on her way out of the room when she found herself facing another girl. Her eyes widened as she tipped her head back to look up and her mouth formed an '_O_' of surprise. "Wow," she whispered, turning back and forth from the waist up as she clutched Cindy closer to her chest. "You're pretty… like Glenda the Good Witch." She leaned back to look at Daddy. "Isn't she, Daddy?"

Edward was saved having to answer that question when Julia spoke up, reminding them that the bus would be there very soon. He smiled politely and herded his youngest past 'Glenda' so they could get down to the end of the driveway without having to make a run for it.

Kyle and the others exchanged a knowing look and he waited until Isabel had greeted Julia and taken the seat across from him before he spoke. "Hot shower did wonders for you," he said with a teasing twinkle in his eyes.

"Perhaps you should spend more than three minutes under the shower. Does wonders for the complexion," she said dismissively as she shook her napkin out.

He nodded and chewed a bite of pancake. "Hmm, that's good advice," he muttered. "Maybe later you could help me out with a facial."

"Couldn't hurt your ugly mug," Michael mumbled around a mouthful of food. He checked his watch before cutting his last piece of sausage in half.

"There's no need to rush," Julia spoke up when she noticed what he was doing. "Edward will be happy to give you a ride." She shook her head when the first two girls to the table stood and started clearing away the dirty dishes. "Oh, that's not necessary."

"It's the least we can do," Maria insisted.

Michael was finishing up the last bite when the man of the house came back inside and a few moments later he stepped into the kitchen.

"I told Michael you'd run him down to their vehicle," Julia said, reaching up to pat Edward's hand when he came to stand behind her with his hand on her shoulder.

"Um-hmm," he said, watching the young people filling the room. "I've got your car warmin' up." His gaze followed Michael as he stood with his plate and carried it over to the sink, pausing next to his girlfriend and speaking to her quietly. She shook her head at whatever he said and Edward almost laughed at the confused look on the kid's face when the girl turned to grab another stack of dishes to add to the dishwater.

Kyle stood up from the table, turning to add his plate to the stack in Liz' hands as she passed him. "I'll go with you." He rolled his eyes at Max and Liz; they were making goo goo eyes at each other and personally he could live without that. Just a matter of hours that they had been out of the mini bus they had been calling home and they were already re-familiarizing themselves with each other.

"No." Michael shook his head. If Maria was staying at the house Max and Kyle were both staying there with her and the other girls to keep an eye on things. The mini bus had broken down on his watch and it was his responsibility to fix this mess.

Damn. "Guerin, did ya happen to notice the way she was eyeballin' the Christmas lights on the porch this mornin'?" He shot a glance at Isabel. Uh-huh, he could see it. That little anticipatory twitch had started to show itself. Not enough that the crazed gleam had entered her eyes just yet, but it was coming.

"No."

Kyle leaned in closer to Michael. "C'mon, Guerin," he hissed quietly, "we all know that 'Glenda' is just dyin' to turn into the Christmas Nazi."

"What was that?" Isabel inquired in that tone that suggested she knew exactly what he had said.

"Nothin'," he denied.

Michael shook his head unsympathetically. "No."

"You can't leave me here with El Presidente _and_ the Christmas Nazi… that falls under cruel and unusual punishment."

"There are laws against that you know," Maria chimed in.

Michael rolled his eyes when she and Liz glanced at each other and started laughing at what had to be a private joke.

"It'll be perfectly fine if Kyle goes with you, Michael," Maria said quietly, bringing his thoughts back to their current situation.

"No. He and Max are stayin' with you while I go check out that piece of crap."

"Oh, look what I've found," Julia said as she came into the kitchen carrying a couple of coats.

Michael frowned. Between Kyle, Liz and Maria he hadn't noticed her leaving the room and he mentally kicked himself for the slip.

"Yes, I think these will do just fine," she said as she shook the first one out and handed it to Kyle. "I'm sure this'll be much warmer than your sleeping bag jacket." Her smile was gently teasing as she watched him slip it on. She turned to Michael and held out the second old work coat she had dug out of the closet.

"I'm okay," he said, shaking his head.

"Do you remember how cold it was last night? It's not much warmer out there now."

He reached for the coat, accepting it only when Maria shoved her elbow in his ribs to motivate him. He shrugged into the coat and then had to endure his girlfriend tugging the sides together and standing back to scrutinize his appearance. He glanced over at Kyle when he heard him thanking Julia for the coat and gloves he was shoving his hands into.

"My goodness, I don't think Edward's gloves will fit you," Julia said, glancing at Michael's hands.

He shrugged and shook his head. "No, I'm fine." He shoved his hands in the coat pockets. The coat was already more than he was comfortable with. He was used to Isabel's bullying and Maria's cajoling but anyone else fussing over him crossed the line into his comfort zone.

Edward cleared his throat. "Well, I think the car's warmed up enough so you boys c'mon an' I'll run you down to your vehicle."

Michael didn't like the odds. He trusted Max to take care of Maria in his absence and he knew Isabel would do whatever was necessary to protect all of them, but he preferred to have Kyle there for backup. They would be away from the house, separated, vulnerable…

"Michael." Maria called his name quietly, knowing exactly where his thoughts were. She stretched up to give him a soft kiss. "We'll be fine here."

He nodded. "Alright, this shouldn't take long."

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Kyle sat in the middle of the backseat, glancing between the two silent men in the front. He could see the similarities in their demeanors and he wondered if anyone else had noticed it. The men were carefully sizing each other up while trying not to be obvious about it and neither of them was comfortable leaving their woman with strangers. He hadn't been surprised when Michael had called shotgun and climbed into the front seat. _Not that it would have mattered if he had called it first,_ he mused.

"So, Edward, I noticed the sign on your front porch, Stevens' Sanctuary," he said to break the silence. "What do you do?"

"We run a resort, rent cabins out most of the year. Most folks come up to hunt, fish or just kick back for a bit. This time of year they come up for cross-country skiing, snowmobiling and ice fishing. And if they need a guide out here I provide that too."

"Haven't seen anyone around," Michael commented, looking to the left and right as they reached the end of the driveway. He absently noted the haziness of the sunlight as Edward turned the car to the left, pulling out onto the road.

"We close up shop over the holidays. Better to make time for the family than make that extra buck or two."

_Un-huh,_ Michael thought. _His wife pulled rank on that one._

"Guess this wouldn't be your busy season, huh?" Kyle asked.

"This time of year it thins out a bit as far as guests are concerned so it gives us a little vacation and time with the family." He chuckled under his breath. "Gives Julia a break from the constant interruption of folks knockin' on the door. Me, I don't mind, but the wife likes her personal space and after 11 months of that pretty much non-stop she's ready for a break."

Kyle turned to look over his shoulder at the house as they reached a small dip in the road and he caught sight of the mini bus up ahead. "Boy, that sure seemed a lot longer last night," he said, shaking his head.

Edward pulled past the mini bus and made a wide u-turn to pull up behind it. "That tow should be here anytime now."

"I'll wait for the truck," Michael insisted as he opened the door. "We've gotta grab our things so Kyle can take them back." He got out of the car without waiting for an agreement from Edward that he would wait or an assent from Kyle that he would go back to the house.

"If you need to get back it's not a big deal," Kyle said as he slid across the bench seat. He shrugged as Edward glanced at Michael and then back at him. "It's just the way he is." He climbed out of the car and put a lid on his temper as he stalked around the side of the bus to join Michael. He was getting tired of being ordered around like an underling without a brain of his own.

He remained silent as he climbed inside and started gathering his and Isabel's things out of habit, followed by the few tools he had collected over the past few months. He frowned at the black trash bags their things were stashed in, knowing how pathetic it looked. He shoved those thoughts aside when a box was thrown over the seat to land next to his left hand, narrowly missing his fingers.

"That's the last of it," Michael muttered as he dropped down out of the bus and walked to the passengers' side door to yank on it.

"You melted it closed last night, moron," Kyle snapped as he dropped down to stand next to him.

Michael glared at him as he pressed his palm over the lock and reversed the process. He pulled the door open and leaned inside, grabbing the last of Maria's things and stashing them in one of the bags. "You got somethin' to say?"

"Yeah, I'm not some little kid who needs to be told what to do. I think I've been involved in this long enough that you should get off my ass and let me do things without tellin' me what I need to do."

Michael inhaled a deep lungful of cold air as he turned his head to stare up at the sky. He watched it for a few moments as it began to morph from a dim white light into a light shade of gray. He forced his voice to soften, momentarily losing the commanding edge it had a tendency to take on. "They'll be safer with you there."

Kyle's mouth dropped open for a moment before he caught himself. Michael trusted him with Maria, trusted him to keep her safe. And it was probably as close as he would ever come to saying the words. He gathered their things up and carried them back to the car, carefully placing them on the backseat and going back for the toolbox. He met Michael's gaze as he reached for the bag he held. "We'll be there when you get back, Mi Capitan."

Edward shifted to the side to watch the exchange between the two young men, catching very little of it from his position leaning into the passengers' seat. He wondered about this little vacation they claimed to be taking since their luggage consisted of trash bags and cardboard boxes. He shifted back to his side when they separated and Kyle walked back over to the car, slipping in the snow as he reached for the door handle.

"Okay, that's the last of it," Kyle said as he settled into the front seat and placed the toolbox on the floor between his feet.

"Nice suitcases," Edward commented.

Kyle smiled and shrugged. "It gets the job done."

"I s'pose so." He shot one last quick glance at Michael before putting the car in gear and pulling back out onto the road.


	5. Chapter 5

**Part 5**

Isabel moved around the living room, her gaze moving over the comfortably worn furniture, the decorations on the walls, and the old upright piano that sat in one corner. She moved closer to it, taking in the many framed photographs resting on top of it. Pictures of the couple and their children, as individuals and as a family took up every available inch of the cloth-covered surface.

The house was warm and welcoming just like the family that inhabited its walls. The familiar warmth reminded her of home and the family she had left behind. Her fingers brushed over different frames and her vision blurred slightly as she thought about her own parents. It would be their first Christmas without their children… for her and Max it would be their first Christmas without their parents.

She reached up to brush a tear away when she reached for a picture near the back. All three of the Stevens' children were proudly holding up handmade Christmas stockings and she sighed at the memory of her own husband hanging his own handmade stocking that she had felt was an eyesore over their fireplace. Jesse. She wondered if he had taken the job in Boston. She looked down at the rings she still wore and she wondered if he had done what she had asked him to do. Had he accepted that she wasn't coming back? Had he moved on in her absence? Was he celebrating Christmas with someone else?

She hoped that he had accepted the job and that he had found a way to move on. He deserved to be happy, to be with someone who could be who he needed. Part of her regretted telling him that she would keep praying she would be able to come back to him, that maybe someday it would be safe enough. It felt like a selfish thing to have said when she didn't believe that it was possible. She sighed and placed the photograph back on the piano, giving it a gentle nudge to push it back into its original position before turning to go back to the kitchen.

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Max sat at the table, lingering over a cooling mug of coffee while Liz and Maria wandered around the large kitchen. Isabel had disappeared into the living room to investigate and Mrs. Stevens was busy inventorying the contents of her refrigerator. He abandoned his spot when the lady of the house grabbed one of the chairs and placed it in front of one of the cupboards, her intentions obvious.

"Here, let me get that for you," he offered. "Which one?"

"Thanks." Julia pointed to the flour container as she smiled. "I'm hoping to be taller in my next life."

He chuckled. "It has its advantages."

"So, Max, how long have you two been married?" The sugar canister took a nosedive before he could answer, the fine grains glittering as they rained down on the linoleum.

Max' right hand shot out, deftly catching the canister before it could make contact with the floor. He gave her a disarming grin as he set it on the counter. "Where's the broom and dustpan?"

Julia pulled her gaze away from the sugar canister to look at him, stunned by his quick, catlike reflexes. "It's um… oh, in the closet next to the pantry," she said, pointing it out.

He nodded. "I'll clean this up." He gave Liz a knowing look as he passed her and Maria where they stood looking at a picture of the Stevens children. The framed photograph sat on a small hand-crafted shelf on the wall above an old wooden high chair that was occupied by Miss Cindy the Bear.

Maria grinned at Max and shook her head. "Butterfingers," she muttered, knowing full well why the sugar had been spilled.

Liz inclined her head and turned to look at Julia. "You house is just lovely. How did you and Edward meet?"

"Well, the resort's been in my family most of my life," Julia answered. She knew she was being redirected but she went with it, hoping to gain their trust. It was obvious that they needed help but they wouldn't ask for it. "I spent summers here when I was growing up. Edward and his mom lived in West Branch and they'd come here for a week's vacation every July." Her lips turned up at the corners in a smile that made her eyes light up. "At first he was just that boy who would tease me and pull me under the water while we were swimming." She chuckled at the memories. "He still thinks pestering me to no end is romantic."

Maria snorted at that. "Boys." She glanced at the bear Maggie held in the picture as her fingers brushed against the well-loved stuffed animal. "Does Miss Cindy have a story?"

Julia smiled, stepping aside to give Max plenty of room to work as he set about sweeping up the spilled sugar. "Of course," she said with a gentle laugh. "Just before Maggie turned three she started having nightmares about polar bears of all things. My poor little girl would wake up screaming and crying because they were chasing after her. She woke the boys up one night and scared the you-know-what out of them." She glanced up when Isabel joined them, sitting at the table and listening to the story. "They were out with Edward a couple of days later when they saw the white bear in a store window downtown. Not exactly a polar bear, but close enough. They pooled their allowances and bought it. They gave it to her for her birthday and explained that she's a good polar bear who never lies and she would keep the bad polar bears away."

"How'd she get her name?" Liz asked curiously.

"I asked what her name was and she whispered it in Maggie's ear." The door off of the kitchen opened and she noted the way their heads shot up and their tense gazes locked on it. They didn't even seem to notice the blast of cold air that came in with Edward and their friend and she wondered at the relieved looks on their faces when they recognized them.

"You didn't stay with Michael?" Maria asked with a frown.

"He sent me back with our stuff outta the van." He shrugged. "You know how he is. Besides, he's less than a quarter mile away. It's a lot closer than we thought it was."

"You didn't leave your cell phone with him?" Julia asked, her voice lowered so it wouldn't carry past her husband. She shook her head at him and sighed sharply as she left them to their conversation, disappearing into the mudroom to consult with the contents of her chest freezer. She lifted the lid and leaned over to dig around for the ground beef hidden amongst the ground venison. She needed to thaw out enough to feed her family and guests because she was certain they would be staying a while.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Michael glanced at the scratched face of the watch he had found in Kyle's seat as he paced along the trench his booted feet had made in the snow. His shoulders were hunched against the wind and he shoved his reddened fists into the pockets once more. _45 minutes,_ he thought irritably. _Where was that tow truck comin' from, Detroit?_

There wasn't much traffic on the road but he tensed up a little more with each vehicle that passed him. He felt his heart start to race when he noticed a couple of black SUVs approaching and for a moment he was back in New Mexico.

_He sat on his dirtbike just outside of Roswell, his gaze focused on that stupid tarot card as he tried once more to make sense of the fortuneteller's cryptic words. He looked up to see the convoy of black cars and SUVs rolling past him on their way into town and he knew everyone he cared about was in danger._

His chest tightened at the memory. _They were alive because he had gone back._ He could feel his palms beginning to sweat and his pulse was pounding as the SUVs neared and it wasn't until they were almost past him that he noticed the Christmas trees tied to the roofs of the vehicles. A young boy in the backseat of the second SUV waved, smiling happily.

He exhaled in relief, his breath momentarily visible on the cold air. _What if next time I can't get to them, to her, in time?_ he wondered. He shoved his hands deeper into the pockets as he locked the door on those thoughts. Failure wasn't an option. _Fuck, where's that tow truck?_ He could almost hear Kyle's response to his silent question. _The driver's probably curled up with a bottle of the local moonshine._

His pacing paused a short while later when he heard a horn honking and he turned his head to see an older model tow truck coming from his right. Once the driver had parked in front of the van he dropped down out of the cab and walked around to check the underside of the van.

"Been longer than an hour," Michael growled when the guy approached him.

James "Buckeye" Murphy reached up with one gloved hand to shove his grease-stained baseball cap back. "Yup, sorry 'bout that. Seems the driver they called was tanked so it took 'em a while to reroute your call for a tow." He held his hand out and grinned. "Name's James Murphy but you can call me Buckeye. Everyone does."

"Buckeye?" Michael asked as he stared at the guy's hand for a moment before shaking it.

"Yup, family moved here from Ohio. It's the Buckeye State, ya know. Tons of buckeye trees grow down there. Didja know that buckeyes are nuts?"

"I do now." _This guy was definitely nuts,_ he thought. "Michael," he said in response to the expectant look on Buckeye's face.

"Been waitin' out here long?" he asked, nodding at Michael's reddened hands.

"Long enough."

He nodded sympathetically and pulled his gloves off, shoving them at the other guy. "Here, put these on."

"No, I – "

"S'okay," Buckeye said, walking backwards and holding his hands up. "I've got big paws, they'll fit ya." He nodded at the truck. "No worries, I've got another pair in the cab, couple pairs back at the shop. Hey, didja know that the oldest pair of gloves known to exist belonged to King Tut?" He nodded to himself. "Yup, it's a fact."

_Great, he was stuck with a walking, talking encyclopedia._ Michael slid his hands into the warmed gloves when Buckeye emerged with another pair in hand. "Thanks," he muttered.

The driver waved one hand dismissively. "S'all good," he said with a smile. "Lemme get you all hooked up so you can get back in outta the cold. Got your keys?"

Michael pulled one of the gloves off and reached into the pocket of his jeans, pulling the ring of keys out and handing it over. "Any idea how long it'll take to look at it?"

"Wanna get back on the road, huh? Any idea what's wrong with it?"

Michael frowned at him. "You're the mechanic."

"Naw, that'd be Dean. I just handle most of the routine maintenance, tows an' stuff like that," he said as he reached for one of the levers on the side of the truck.

"Oh, well, we're pretty sure the engine's shot."

"That'd be a shame, wouldn't it? These babies are classics." He glanced at the key chain as he paused next to the drivers' side door. He held them up, nodding at the little yellow-green alien with almond-shaped blue eyes dangling from the ring. "That's funny. Don't think I've ever seen one of these before."

"Yeah, well, roadside tourist trap," he said, thinking about Maria's mom for a moment.

Buckeye pointed downward. "Hey, you've got Florida plates. Whatcha doin' all the way up here?"

The questions seemed innocuous enough but Michael had learned to never take anything at face value. "Touring the country with some friends. We were on our way to visit another friend when the engine went out on us," he answered, using the ridiculous story that had already been started.

"That's gotta be nice, huh?"

"The engine goin' out in the middle of this frozen wasteland?"

Buckeye chuckled, not put off by the irritated edge in the other man's voice. "I've thought about doin' somethin' like that one day. Ya know how many things there are to see in this great country? I'll tell ya, I've got a list as long as my right arm of things I'd like to see an' do…"

Michael tuned him out as he set about hooking the van up to the towing mechanism, talking incessantly the entire time. _Damn, and he had thought Maria could talk!_

"…but I can tell ya 'bout that another day I s'pose," he said a few minutes later, unaware that the other man hadn't been paying a bit of attention to him. "If you'll just sign off on the paperwork I'll get this puppy back to the shop so Dean can take a look at it. Mr. Stevens left his contact information so soon as the boss has somethin' he'll give y'all a call."

"Right," Michael said as he nodded and followed the driver to the cab. He accepted the banged-up clipboard Buckeye held out to him, signing in all of the appropriate places and handing it back. He watched the other man as he tore off the receipt and once it was in his hands he folded it over twice and shoved it in his pocket.

"Can I give you a lift up to the Stevens' place?"

Michael shook his head. "No, I think I'll just walk," he said, willing to freeze for another 15 minutes or so if it meant he could be alone with his thoughts.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: **We're going to post on Thursdays and Sundays… see how it works out. Should we decide that it doesn't work we'll let ya know!

**Part 6**

Maria checked the clock again before wandering over to the window to look out at the driveway, hoping to see Michael walking towards the house. "He should be back by now."

"It's probably just takin' time to – "

"It's taking too long," she insisted, interrupting Kyle when he tried to ease her mind. "It's cold out there."

"You know, you're right about that," Julia said as she stood up. "I think I'll run make some hot chocolate."

"Would it be alright if Kyle took some down to Michael?" Maria asked.

"Of course. I'll get one of Edward's insulated mugs for him."

Maria nodded. "Thank you."

"When did I turn into everyone's gofer?" Kyle asked when they were left alone in the living room.

"You wanted to be with your own kind," Max reminded him as he glanced up from the checkerboard between him and Liz.

"I don't recall that comin' with a gofer sign-up sheet." He shook his head at them. "Kyle, take a walk in the freezing cold to take my boyfriend some hot chocolate. Kyle, take all of our crap and go back to the house to keep an eye on Maria. Kyle, you don't mind sleepin' on the floor… _again,_ do you? Kyle, run in the store and pick up some tampons. Kyle, do this. Kyle do that. Kyle, Kyle, Kyle… I hate my name," he grumbled as he slouched down in the corner of the couch and crossed his arms over his chest.

Maria rolled her eyes at him. "Fine, I'll just take it out to him myself."

"No way, Deluca. He's a helluva lot scarier than you are." He shook his head at her. "I'll walk it out there when it's ready."

"Thanks, Kyle," she said happily and gave him a quick hug before hurrying into the kitchen.

"Way to stand up for your non-gofer status," Liz teased.

He just sighed and shrugged. It wasn't that he minded doing things for them because he didn't. It'd just be nice if once in a while they asked if he'd do things instead of just assuming he would. _For better or worse they were his family now._ He gave a mental snort at that thought. It was like marrying into the mob, only they were aliens and they weren't involved in organized crime. Yeah, they needed to come up with a support group for 'his kind'. _Hi, my name is Kyle Valenti and I'm part of the alien conspiracy._

Isabel's gaze strayed to the empty Christmas tree stand sitting below the picture window that faced the lake that appeared to be frozen. She wondered why they didn't already have a tree up and decorated as close as it was to Christmas. She was pulled out of her thoughts when Maria came back into the room and asked if anyone wanted a hot chocolate.

Max nodded as he looked up from the game. "I'll take one."

"Don't look at me, El Presidente," Kyle said as he shook his head. "This gofer's on strike."

Maria propped her hands on her hips as she looked at Max. "If you want one come in the kitchen and get it." She smiled at Kyle. "And you, your strike can begin right after you get back from taking Michael's hot chocolate out to him."

Liz leaned forward and picked up one of her checkers, jumping over a couple of Max' checkers to land on the back of the board. "King me," she crowed as she got to her feet. Her fingers brushed against his shoulder as she moved past him to join Maria in the kitchen.

His mouth snapped closed as he turned to look at the board and he rolled his eyes when he heard Kyle laughing.

"Saw that comin' about three moves back." Kyle tipped his head as he stared at Max' remaining checkers. "You'd think you'd be better at strategy, wouldn't you?"

"How would you like to be a gopher for real, Kyle?"

He mused over that one for a moment before glancing up at Isabel. "Can you guys really do that?"

Isabel kept her expression serious as she turned her head to look at him. "Molecular manipulation," she said with a shrug, losing control of the grin as she walked into the kitchen.

"Do we wanna know what that grin's all about?" Maria asked when Isabel joined them.

"She's messin' with Kyle," Max said with a quiet laugh. He sat down at the table with Liz and glanced at the clock on the wall. _Michael had been gone a long time,_ he thought as he caught Maria leaning into the living room to check the window once again.

"I was noticing the empty tree stand in the living room," Isabel said as she watched Julia making homemade hot chocolate. "Back home it was always a real occasion to bring the Christmas tree home and decorate it with the family." She shot a 'don't you dare' look at her brother, silencing him before he dared to open his mouth and comment.

Julia wondered at the girl's wistful tone and her use of the past tense.

Liz shook her head at her husband when he ran his right hand over his face in an attempt to control his humor. As soon as his sister turned away a playful grin emerged and she couldn't help but smile in response.

"How does your family celebrate the tree tradition?" Isabel asked curiously.

"Well," Julia mused as she finished filling an insulated mug with hot chocolate and securing the lid in place.

"Hey, so, I've been thinking," Kyle said, only to be shushed by Isabel as he stepped into the kitchen.

"Julia's telling us about their Christmas tree tradition."

"Uh-huh," he said slowly, nodding when he saw the gleam in her eyes becoming more noticeable.

Julia's curiosity piqued at the silent communication between them as she handed him the mug and started to explain. "Normally, Santa brings the tree and decorates it on Christmas Eve," she said with a smile. "That's also when he finishes wrapping any presents he hasn't had a chance to wrap yet. We leave lots of cookies and milk for him." She leaned back against Edward when he came up behind her and slid his arms around her waist.

"Santa doesn't mind wrapping presents at the last minute because his eggnog's spiked with Bourbon," he said with a wink.

Isabel smiled at the thought of sitting up all night, decorating the tree and wrapping presents. It would be so wonderful for the children. And so exhausting for the parents. Talk about your time management issues!

"We'll be doing things a little differently this year since Tony Martin isn't here to have 'Santa on the Lake' for the kids. Maggie's having a hard time understanding what's happened, and although the boys won't acknowledge it, they miss him and the event as well. We thought we might take the kids to a Christmas tree farm to choose our own tree and decorate it this year."

"If you'd like some help…"

Kyle hurried to shrug into his coat and grabbed the insulated mug once more. He knew what was coming out of the Christmas Nazi's mouth next and he needed to make his escape before he was drafted into the plans that he could see developing. He ignored the curious looks he was getting and grabbed the doorknob, jerking the door open and running right into Michael.

"Miss me?" Michael asked, shaking his head at Kyle. He looked down at the mug in the other guy's hand and knew he had been sent on a mission per Maria's instructions. "Didn't know you cared so much, Valenti."

"What took the tow truck so long?" Maria asked, her gaze moving over him to make sure he was alright. She took his coat when he shrugged out of it, hanging it over the back of one of the chairs and glancing at the glove sticking out of one of the pockets.

"Guy said the driver they called first was hungover or somethin'." He took a sip from the mug and just barely controlled the grimace as the too-sweet hot chocolate hit his tongue. "He got there about an hour ago."

"Well, what took so long once he finally showed up? There's no way it took an hour to hook the van up. What was he doin'?"

"Sharin' interesting facts about gloves and anything else that came into his head… facts that were in no way interesting," he said with a scowl as he sat down next to Maria. She reached for his free hand and started rubbing it, trying to warm him up.

"Dean must've sent Buckeye out." Edward laughed at the disgruntled look on the younger man's face. "Yeah, that boy could talk the ears off a mule."

Michael slowly turned his head when he felt someone behind him and his eyes narrowed when he found himself nose to nose with Kyle. "What're you doin'?" he growled.

"He said the guy could talk the ears off a mule… just checkin' to see if you've got any left."

Julia pulled Edward aside when the kids started laughing at Kyle's comment and the look on Michael's face in response to it. "Edward…"

He glanced down at the fingers she had wrapped around his shirttail and then up at the soft expression in her eyes. "Julia," he said slowly, already shaking his head. "No. Whatever it is…"

"You know it's unlikely that Dean will be able to completely repair whatever's wrong with their van today. They'll need a place to stay and we can't just send them to a hotel. I can only imagine what it'll cost to fix their van and adding on expenses like hotel and food… they can't possibly afford all that."

"No, I'm sure Dean'll have that thing runnin' in no time," he insisted quietly. "They'll probably be outta here by dinnertime."

"Edward, the cabins are sitting empty right now."

He shook his head. "I'm sure it won't come to that, Julia."

"But if it does…" she persisted.

"If it does we'll discuss it," he said with an acquiescent nod. "In the meantime we've got a storm comin' in and there's work to be done." He turned and pointed to the young men gathered around the kitchen table. "You boys come with me. We're runnin' low on firewood and we'd best stock up before that storm hits."

Michael glanced at the man even as he felt himself tensing up at the words that weren't exactly a suggestion. He felt Maria's hand on his thigh but it did nothing to ease his apprehension at dividing their group in such a manner.

Maria glanced at Edward, easily seeing the assessing look on his features. He was watching all of them, but it was Michael that his gaze strayed back to time after time. Michael was edgy and she knew how threatening it made him appear. "Michael…"

He turned his head to look at her.

She nodded at the window across from them. "The woodshed, I can see it from here." He followed her gaze and after several long moments she could feel just the slightest easing in his tense muscles, a clear indication that he had received her message loud and clear.


	7. Chapter 7

**Part 7  
**

Julia listened as Isabel described the best homemade icing for Christmas cookies, adding her input on occasion. She had run them out of the kitchen when Edward had returned with the boys, deciding they needed a little time to breathe after the way he had run them ragged lugging firewood. He had put Max to work splitting logs and it had been obvious from his first attempt that he had no clue what he was doing.

She looked up from preparing lunch when the back door opened and Edward reached out to hold onto the door while Maggie hurried in under his extended arm. She opened her mouth to greet her youngest but the little girl was staring at their guest. She bit her lips to keep from laughing when Maggie's eyes lit up with excitement and she uttered a hushed, "they're still here" before hurrying to shrug out of her coat, letting it fall to the floor as she ran to the living room doorway.

"Maggie Stevens, you come back here and take those boots and leggings off first," she said insistently.

"Okay, Mama."

In the living room Maria was hiding a giggle as she tugged on Michael's shirt, pulling him back onto the couch. He was leaning over the side, trying to catch a glimpse of what was going on in the kitchen. He had slouched down on the couch next to her when the guys had come back inside and she had started to rub his shoulders, hoping he would relax enough rest, maybe even sleep for a bit. But, no, he had snatched up the remote and turned the TV on, scanning the stations before settling on an old episode of 'Bewitched'. The evidence of lack of sleep was showing itself in his red-rimmed eyes and she knew he needed to rest.

Max had challenged Liz to another game of checkers, determined to win this time. Kyle had rolled his eyes and settled down on the other couch to watch Liz wipe the board with him again. It hadn't taken long before he had fallen asleep and now he was sacked out and snoring loudly. They had lost Isabel when Julia had unknowingly made the mistake of mentioning making and decorating Christmas cookies.

Maria looked up when Isabel came into the living room right behind Maggie. She walked over to the second couch and gave Kyle an unsubtle nudge and he shifted his lower legs without even waking up. She sat down and made a face when his feet settled against her thigh and she arched an eyebrow when one foot began to ease onto her lap.

"One more inch, Kyle, and you won't have to wonder whether or not the big toe is really that important to balance," she threatened. She nodded to herself when his foot went right back to its previous position.

Maggie ran over to the entertainment center and sat down to pull a handful of movies out, digging through them until she had found the one she wanted. She shoved the others back into place and got to her feet, approaching Maria with 'The Wizard of Oz' DVD in hand. Her steps faltered as she neared them and she fully stopped to stare at Michael. _He didn't look so scary when he was asleep,_ she thought. She turned around and went into the kitchen to get Cindy.

As Maria watched Maggie's reaction to Michael she remembered him as Santa the year before. It was hard to see what being responsible for their safety had done to him these past few months. Her heart clenched painfully as the memory of last Christmas made a slight detour, turning her thoughts to the way she had hurt him. If only she could go back and change what she had done to him. She missed her Spaceboy that had finally openly trusted her with his heart. She leaned into him and nuzzled his neck, placing a gentle kiss against his skin. "Down Spaceboy, you're scaring Maggie."

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Edward, what would you like for lunch? I'm making sandwiches for everyone."

He followed her as she moved around the kitchen, her moves efficient as she created a meal for their company. He reached around her, picking to see what she had made for him and he frowned. "What, no ham an' swiss with horsey sauce?"

"No, it's Thursday. I need to shop tomorrow."

"Uh-huh," he said slowly. "What'd you do, give the Mystery Machine gang my ham an' swiss with horsey sauce?"

"What if I did?" Julia's eyes twinkled as she glanced at him. "What're you gonna do about it?"

"That'd be very bad," he said, dragging the 'very' out into multiple syllables. "I'd have to do somethin' about it."

He sighed. "I know, it's Thursday."

Julia made him sit down at the table as she made him a grilled cheese with tomato just the way he liked it. She slid it onto a plate and then cut it in half, allowing the hot cheese to bubble out onto the plate. She placed it in front of him and leaned over to give him a kiss. "Feel better now?"

They talked for a few minutes while he finished his sandwich and when he got up to put his plate in the sink she intercepted him, taking the plate and handing him a list. She winked at him as she asked, "You need to run to Big Dave's Hardware, right?"

Edward let out a breath as he shook his head. "Woman, you're gonna owe me."

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Maggie returned to the living room a couple of minutes later with Cindy held against her chest and tucked up under her chin. "Wanna watch 'The Wizard of Oz' with me an' Cindy?" she asked as she came to stand in front of them again.

Maria laced her fingers through Michael's. "Sure, we love that movie, don't we, Michael?"

_Oh, yeah. A musical with midgets, what's not to love?_ he wondered sarcastically.

Maggie bit her bottom lip, tightening her grip on Cindy as she pondered what she should say to Michael. "Cindy wants to know if you're a good polar bear or a bad polar bear?"

He snorted and gave her a small smile. "Santa once told me only good polar bears like 'The Wizard of Oz'."

The little girl's jaw dropped open in excitement. "You know Santa?"

"Maggie, c'mon in here and get your lunch," Julia called.

"Mama!" she shouted as she ran backwards to the kitchen, her awed gaze never leaving Michael. "Mama, Michael knows Santa!"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Shhh!"

Edward looked up from stomping snow off of his boots when Julia shushed him and he stuck his head into the kitchen. She was sitting at the kitchen table writing out what he was certain was the grocery list for tomorrow afternoon's shopping trip. "It's pretty quiet in here," he said when he realized that he didn't hear their daughter or their company.

"You do hear 'Rudolph's Shiny New Year', don't you?"

He crossed the room quietly and paused in the doorway between the kitchen and living room. The movie was playing on the television and his little girl was watching it as intently as she always did as she sat next to Maria. Michael was slouched down next to his girlfriend, his body angled towards her and his head resting on her shoulder as he slept.

Julia leaned into Edward, taking his hand in hers as she whispered, "It's okay, Maggie says Michael knows Santa."

His gaze moved over the others. Max was sitting on the floor with his back against the wall, Liz in his arms as she dozed. Kyle was still sleeping and Isabel was sitting at one end of the couch he had staked a claim on. She glanced up and gave him a polite smile before turning her attention back to the television screen.

"You let them eat in the living room?" he asked with a small smile when he noticed the stack of paper plates sitting at one end of the coffee table.

"I thought just this once it'd be alright. Thought it might help them relax. And look at that," she said with a teasing smile. "They all look pretty relaxed to me."

He snorted softly. "C'mon, I need to get the things I picked up at Big Dave's outta the truck and put away."

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Michael's senses brought him awake, instantly alerting him that he was being watched. It was a sensation that couldn't be explained so much as felt and the one time he had bothered trying to explain it Kyle had started to call the feeling his 'spidey sense'. Something that annoyed him to no end. Of course now it was out there and he was sure he was stuck with it. The room was dark, the intermittent flickering of light against his closed eyelids telling him the television was still on but muted. He was kicking himself for falling asleep even as he was slowing his breathing to listen for any little sound that might indicate what was going on around him. He knew right off that Maria wasn't next to him and the others were no longer in the room with him.

He knew when she was close by, could feel it almost like an extension of himself. Someone was close, but it wasn't her. Maria smelled like cedar oil, whatever shampoo and soap they could afford, and of course… Maria. This person smelled like... what was it? Peanut butter and jelly? Maybe mixed with bubble gum? i _Definitely not FBI_, he thought derisively./i FBI agents smelled like expensive suits and gun oil.

Sounds off to his left began to filter in and he could hear the low murmur of conversation. The voices slowly began to separate and he was able to identify them one by one. All but Maria. He forced himself to stay calm. There was nothing about their voices to indicate that anything was wrong. On the contrary, they sounded as relaxed as he'd heard them in way too long. The person watching him moved and all of his senses focused on them again. It was just enough movement to let him know the person was on the couch and he felt himself tense even more.

Maria paused at the entrance to the room, watching the scene for a moment. Her gaze moved over him, taking in the taut muscles and the slight twitch in his fisted right hand. "Michael."

Her voice, calm, knowing, accepting and laced with just a hint of amusement was enough to allow him to relax slightly and he opened his eyes. He found himself nearly nose to nose with that blasted polar bear again when Maggie scooted closer to him on her knees, her brow furrowed as she studied him. _Peanut butter, jelly and bubble gum,_ he thought. Now it made sense.

The little girl scrunched her nose up and she tilted her head to one side. "How come you're so quiet when you sleep?" she asked curiously.

Michael frowned at the invasive question. As a kid he had quickly learned to sleep without making a sound, something that was likely ingrained in him even farther back than that. He had been a soldier on Antar after all and stealth was part of the overall package. Making a sound could bring the wrong kind of attention to him. As a soldier it had meant the difference between life and death, and as a child it had meant the difference between being beaten or ignored. He was saved from having to come up with an answer when she went on, unconcerned with his lack of response.

"Kyle makes lots of noise when he sleeps. He sounds like Babe. Ya know, in the movie?" She snorted like the famous little pig and then buried her face against Miss Cindy's head as she giggled.

Maria tried to bite her lips before her laughter could escape but all that did was alter the sound and it came out sounding like a loud snort, which just tripped the switch and made her laugh even louder.

Michael stared at his… girlfriend? Was Maria his girlfriend? He really didn't know the answer to that one. Things had happened so fast on graduation day and while they had been together since they had been on the run he didn't know if that meant they were really _together_. For all he knew it was familiarity and the close quarters that had allowed them to migrate back to each other. They hadn't really talked about anything, and while he wasn't big on talking, things had happened that had to be dealt with if he was ever going to be satisfied that they were back together for the right reasons.

He shifted when he realized the little girl had fallen silent again and he turned his head to look at her. "What?" he asked when she continued to silently watch him.

"You know Santa, right?"

He shrugged and held his right hand up, crossing two of his fingers. "You could say were like this."

"I gotta go do somethin'," she said as she dropped down off of the couch and ran out of the room.

"You shouldn't have let me sleep," he muttered as he sat up and rubbed his hands over his face.

"Max was awake."

"You know what I mean."

"C'mon, we've been invited to stay for dinner and everyone's gonna help out."

"We haven't gotten a call about the van?"

Maria could hear the anxiety in his voice even though he was trying to hide it from her. "They'll call. For now, let's focus some of that energy on giving Julia a hand with dinner."


	8. Chapter 8

**Part 8**

Kyle looked up from the napkins Isabel had him folding when Maria came back into the kitchen dragging Michael behind her. "Sleeping Beauty awakes," he said with a teasing grin. "Awaiting true loves' kiss, were you?"

"You're just jealous because no matter how many princesses you kiss you still look like a frog," Max said as he helped Edward pull the table apart so they could insert the leaves the two Stevens' boys were carrying in.

"Alas, my liege, your supposition is sorely incorrect," Kyle denied, hamming it up with a really bad Shakespearean accent.

Liz laughed and Isabel rolled her eyes at his antics, which only encouraged him to continue.

Max was enjoying the moment so he played along. "So you haven't kissed that many princesses?"

"I've kissed many a fair damsel, however it has also been many a fortnight since that pleasure was mine."

"How come?" Eddie wondered aloud. "Aren't you an' Isabel married?" He motioned to her left hand and the rings there.

An uncomfortable moment of silence fell over the room and Michael stepped in, rescuing Isabel and Kyle before they had to come up with an explanation. "Who wants to talk about old married people? You guys must be involved in some kinda sports, right? Or maybe video games are your thing?" He didn't miss the speculative look they were getting from Edward as his gaze moved between the six of them.

Brian made a face. He could care less who was married to who. He studied Michael. It was the first time he had even really looked in his direction. The guy had this whole thing going on; he was totally cool, but also in control. He was like one of the superheroes in the comic books he liked to collect. He smirked. "That's for sure. Hockey rules here." He turned his head to look at his dad. "There's a game on tonight an' there's no way we're gonna miss it, right, Dad?"

Julia caught Edward's attention and gave a sharp, almost unnoticeable shake of her head, silently telling him to leave it alone.

As soon as the boys were sufficiently distracted and the conversation had been safely turned away from them, Michael's attention shifted to Julia. She was setting up a griddle on the counter and he mentally went over the items she had around her. She was making hamburgers for dinner – something he could make in his sleep.

He reached for the unopened package of hamburger at the same time she did and one side of his mouth quirked up in a half-smile. "Where're your seasonings?" She had been waiting on them hand and foot all day and making dinner was the least they could do.

She smiled and pointed at the cabinet in front of him. She didn't bother asking him if he was sure. She had a feeling he wouldn't be stepping in and taking over if he didn't want to. "Just about any fresh vegetable you might need will be in the fridge. Not a lot of it," she warned with a laugh, "but enough. Tomorrow's grocery day so things are a bit low."

He shook his head. "Fries?"

"We're lower on the frozen ones than I thought we were, but I've got half a bag of potatoes."

"Better than frozen anyway." He shrugged and turned to look at the people who were now his family. "Evans." He rolled his eyes when Max and Liz both turned to look at him and Isabel basically ignored his call. "Potatoes, peel. Parker, handle the drinks. Maria, cut the potatoes for fries when he's finished peelin' 'em."

Isabel shook her head when he looked at her.

"You're in charge over there."

"Oh, thank you for granting your permission," she said, her tone mocking as she bowed slightly.

"I'm sure you already know what you're doin'," he muttered. The Stevens family had no idea what they were in for letting Isabel handle place settings. Kyle was busy trying to fold napkins into some impossible design and he left him to it. "You two," he motioned to the boys, "let's get that table set."

"What 'bout me?" the littlest Stevens asked as she tugged on his shirt. "Don't you got nothin' for me to do?"

Michael looked down at Maggie. "You know how to make the perfect burger?" he asked.

"Is it the kind Santa likes?"

He raised one eyebrow in question. "How'd you know?"

Her eyes widened and she turned her head to look at Mama. "I told you he knows Santa," she whispered loudly.

Julia chuckled and nodded, watching as he organized things smartly. It was fairly close to the way she would've divided dinner duties up. His manner was perhaps a little gruffer than her personal style, but he was effective and the others listened and followed his orders.

Michael checked the refrigerator and then turned to Julia. "You guys like things hot an' spicy?"

"Within limits," she answered with a smile. "Edward and the boys like things a little hotter than I do."

"Yeah, an' Maggie doesn't eat anything hot," Eddie said while rolling his eyes.

"I do too," the little girl insisted.

Michael glanced at Julia for confirmation and nodded when she shook her head slightly. "Okay, tell ya what," he said as he grabbed one of the kitchen chairs and placed it in front of the counter a safe distance from and grease that might spatter. "I'm pretty sure Santa will understand if I share his secret burger recipe with you."

"Really?"

"Yeah, but you can't tell just anyone about it." He bit back a grin when she shook her head solemnly. "Okay, first thing we gotta do, chop all the secret ingredients up and mix the burger."

"Huh-uh," she said, dragging the word out.

"No?"

"We gotta wash our hands first, silly."

Michael started to tell her that was a given, but instead he just snapped his fingers and pointed at her. "You've done this before, huh?" He nodded when she just giggled. "Okay, you're right about that."

Julia waited until the two had washed their hands and he was tying the strings on Maggie's apron before she spoke. "Looks like you've got things under control, Michael. Is there anything you'd like for me to do?"

He waved her off with a glance. "Nah, take a load off. We got this."

"If you're sure." She chuckled under her breath when he just shook his head and set about chopping things up and scraping them in the bowl for Maggie to mix. The little girl loved to help out in the kitchen and she was pleased that he had included her in what was easily the most 'important' job of the evening.

"Santa's secret burger recipe?" Edward growled as he joined Julia at the other end of the kitchen to watch the organized chaos.

"Well, even Santa has to eat, Edward," she said with a teasing grin.

He shook his head when Michael started chopping up a couple of jalapenos. "She's not gonna be able to eat those burgers. That mix is gonna be too hot for her."

"Just watch what he's doing. He's got two separate mixes going on. There's nothing hot in the second bowl."

"The jalapeno will take care of that. If Maggie eats that she'll be up all night."

"He seeded the second jalapeno."

"So?"

"So, without the seeds it won't be hot. And look at how much fun Maggie's having over there, making Santa's favorite burgers."

"Um-hmm. I'm gonna go check the weather."

She caught his shirttail and gave it a tug. "Hurry back, dinner's almost ready," she said with a wink.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

They were just getting ready to sit down around the table when Isabel stopped them and had them sit in the correct places. Maggie frowned at the spot she had been given and she shook her head as she looked up at Isabel. "I wanna sit with Michael," she insisted.

One look at the little girl's mutinous expression and Isabel knew she was going to have a fight on her hands. Since dinner was already finished she gave in gracefully and had everyone shuffle down one seat, making room for Maggie between Michael and Maria.

"This's like musical chairs," Kyle said, laughing.

"Can I say grace tonight, Daddy?" Maggie asked as she settled into her chair.

Edward glanced at his wife before nodding. Usually he said grace before dinner and it was rare for one of the kids to ask to say the blessing.

"Thank you God for dinner an' for all of our new friends. But most of all, thank you for Michael who knows Santa. Amen." She glanced at Michael when he remained silent amid a round of 'amen's'. "An' now you gotta say 'amen' too," she whispered.

The others just grinned and bit back their laughter as Michael followed her directions and uttered a quiet "amen". Maria reached around Maggie's chair to rub his arm, hoping to ease his discomfort at the unexpected attention.

"You know your way around a kitchen," Edward observed as everyone started piling the toppings of their choosing on their hamburgers.

Michael shrugged and slathered horseradish sauce on the top bun.

"Me too, please." Maggie handed her hamburger bun to Michael. "He knows Santa, Daddy."

"Hey, see if Maria will pass the pickles," Michael said. He waited until she was busy with that to glance at Julia and motion between the jars of mayonnaise and horseradish sauce.

Julia leaned in close to him to whisper, "Mayonnaise, with just a touch of horsey sauce."

He nodded and spread a thin layer of the spicy sauce on the bun before switching to the mayonnaise and covering it. "You manage to get the pickles away from Maria?" he asked when he reached over to place the bun on her plate so she could finish dressing her burger.

"Not yet." Her eyes widened at the pickles Maria had layered on her hamburger. "Wow, you like pickles a lot, huh?"

"Julia, you liked pickles like that when – " Edward started, but a well-aimed kick at his left shin silenced the rest of that comment. He held his hands up in confusion. _Jeez, was it a state secret that she'd devoured pickles by the jar when she was pregnant with Eddie?_

Liz had a feeling she knew exactly where he had been going with his statement but she just grinned and shook her head. "Maria always suffocates her hamburgers with pickles. She drives fast-food places crazy because they never put enough on their burgers."

"Keep digging that hole, Edward," Julia warned quietly.

The telephone rang before he could respond and he excused himself to go and answer it, thankful to be given the brief reprieve. He returned a few minutes later and took his seat, glancing at his wife before resting his forearms on the table and clearing his throat in a request for silence. "That was Dean," he said as he glanced around at their guests. "He hasn't had a chance to get to your van. He got busy before it was brought in and things just didn't slow down. He expects to get to it first thing in the mornin'."

Julia watched the looks flying back and forth between the six of them and she knew they were trying to figure out what they were going to do now.

"So, we're gonna have a sleepover?" Maggie asked excitedly.

"Hey, if you guys are gonna hang out we can watch the game together," Brian said.

Michael was scrambling to figure out how to handle the situation. The Stevens family had been welcoming; they had taken them in and fed them, given them a place to sleep, and helped them get a tow for the van, but they couldn't just continue to take up space on their floor at night.

Maria could see the burden of this new information weighing heavily on Michael's shoulders and she wished there was a simple solution for once. He was carrying the weight of every decision that had been made since they had left Roswell, since Max had declared that he wasn't a king and that he wasn't making decisions for everyone anymore. It wasn't fair for him to carry that responsibility alone but it was something he did without complaint.

"I'm sure there's gotta be a hotel by the shop where our van's at," Kyle spoke up. "Whatcha think, El Capitan?"

Maria could feel the tension in Michael's muscles as he considered their outgo at a hotel versus their other options.

Julia could see them struggling under this new information and she imagined they must be trying to determine their next course of action and how they would make it to the next day. Even now not one single one of them spoke up to ask for help and she wondered why. It wasn't an issue of pride, she was certain of that. There was some other reason, something deeper that prevented them from speaking up and asking.

"Oooh, Mama, can all us girls make Christmas cookies for the pajama party?" Maggie asked excitedly.

Julia smiled at her daughter. "Why don't you ask Daddy, sweetie," she suggested.

Maggie looked at Daddy, her expression all innocence and hopeful excitement. "We can do that, Daddy, right?"

Edward cleared his throat. "Well, Maggie… there's um…"

"We can make your favorite kind."

"I'm sure you can and that'd be very sweet, but…" He glanced at his wife, looking for help and not finding it.

Maggie looked at Mama again. "Mama?"

Julia smiled at her youngest before glancing at her husband. "We'll see after I talk to Daddy." She knew his plans for their day alone had been disrupted and he was feeling neglected. She nudged his knee with hers under the table to get his attention. "Edward, may I see you in my office?"

"Your office?" he echoed as he looked at her. _Oh, no,_ he groaned silently. He could practically see the wheels turning in her head and he knew what was coming. He hung his head in defeat for a few moments before straightening up, pushing his chair back and standing. "Would you all please excuse us?" He pulled Julia's chair out as she stood and then followed her from the room.


	9. Chapter 9

**Part 9 **

Michael's gaze tracked the couple as they left the room and his mind conjured up the different scenarios that could be happening there. None of the possibilities were good in his opinion. Someone kicked him under the table and his eyes narrowed as he glanced around at the others.

Kyle gave a sharp nod of his head, letting him know he was the one who had kicked him and he motioned to the mustard on Michael's left side. He shrugged one shoulder and went about coating his burger with mustard when the other guy started focusing on his own food instead of staring at the doorway the couple had disappeared through. He knew why Michael was so hyper vigilant even in an atmosphere where the rest of them had started to relax to some degree, but he had a feeling it was making Edward draw the wrong conclusions about them.

Eddie leaned forward slightly, making a grab for the horseradish sauce when Michael put it down. He watched as the guy piled hot ingredients on top of his burger and he started copying him, starting with a thick coating of the horseradish sauce on both buns. Next it was pepper jack cheese, sliced jalapenos, American cheese, more jalapenos, a good dousing of Tabasco sauce and finally topping it with the bun.

Next to him Brian was watching him as he chewed on his own burger, made in a similar fashion. His little brother normally ate his hamburger with mustard, ketchup and cheese and nothing else. Every once in a while he'd put a little horseradish sauce on it, but never anything of this magnitude.

The younger boy picked his burger up and squished it together, eyeing it cautiously before looking up to see Michael take a huge bite. He opened his mouth and took a big bite and his eyes started to water as soon as it hit his tongue. He shoved down the instinct to grab his water and drink the entire glass in one shot, knowing he'd look like a big sissy if he did.

"You make good fries," Maggie said as she held one up. "Mama's don't have this color. They're pretty." She turned to look at Maria, showing her the French fry with the reddish-orange tint to it. "Isn't it pretty?"

"They're very pretty," she agreed. "It's almost a shame to eat them." She smiled when Michael just looked at her and rolled his eyes before shoving several of them in his mouth. She knew he used paprika because he liked the flavor and not because he cared about the coloring but she was pretty sure that Maggie's fascination didn't carry past the pretty color.

Eddie shot a longing glance at his glass of ice water as he reached up to wipe away a bead of sweat that had rolled down from his temple.

"How's your burger?" Brian asked with a smirk. He was just waiting for Eddie to give in and dive into his glass of water. He'd never seen anyone actually sweat just from eating hot food.

"Good," Eddie choked out. "Think I'll have another one."

"Yeah, me too. I don't think Mom's ever gotten the burgers this hot before." He lifted his eyebrows. "Do you?"

Brian shook his head. No, Mom had definitely never gotten them this hot. At least… he didn't think so. Of course, he'd never put all this hot stuff on a burger before, so how was he supposed to know?

"I think they're perfect," Maggie said as she looked up at Michael. "Does Santa like everything hot? Is it 'cause he lives in the North Pole an' it's cold up there?"

Michael shook his head. "Not so much hot as spicy."

"But he likes cookies too, right?" She chewed on her burger thoughtfully. "He gots to like sweets, he's Santa! An' he eats the cookies every year."

"Yeah, he likes sweets too."

"Hmm, so Santa likes things sweet an' spicy," she mused. "Do you know what kinda cookies are his favorites? Does he really like milk?" She frowned. "That's a lotta milk for him to drink in one night, huh? Lots of cookies are okay, but… maybe he don't like lots of milk like that."

"Well…" He started putting another burger together and he glanced at her. "He does have a lotta ground to cover an' everyone leaves milk out for him. Honestly, he kinda gets tired of milk."

She shifted around to sit on her knees as she looked at Michael and she reached out to touch his shoulder. "You can tell me an' I won't tell no one else," she promised. She bit her lip as she waited for him to reveal the secret and after a moment she brought her right hand up, little finger extended in his direction. "Wanna make a pinky promise first?"

He looked down at her hand, frowning. "A what?"

Max actually snickered as he watched the scene playing out at the other end of the table. Michael Guerin, ladies and gentlemen. Clueless when faced with a little girl and a pinky promise.

Maggie reached across him to take his right hand, pulling it towards her and uncurling his fingers before folding all but his pinky finger down again. She curled her pinky finger around his and then used her other hand to push his pinky into the desired position. "It's a pinky promise," she said with a smile and a nod. "It's the mostest important promise you can make an' you can never break it. Not never ever."

"Oh, okay then." He felt stupid sitting at the dinner table with everyone staring at them while they swore a pinky promise over Santa's favorite drink.

The little girl shook her head when he tried to pull his hand back and she quickly grabbed onto his wrist, holding him still. "No, you gotta say it or it don't work."

"Say what?"

_Boys,_ she thought. "We gotta go like this," she raised their joined hands in mimicry of a handshake, "and we gotta say 'pinky promise' at the same time."

_Okay, this had officially gone beyond embarrassing,_ he thought as he went through the process, muttering the sacred oath before being released.

"Okay, an' now you can tell me Santa's favorite drink. Is it hot chocolate?" She shook her head, following his movements. "No?"

"Huh-uh." He motioned for her to come closer so he could whisper in her ear.

Maria watched them and smiled. The little girl rested her right arm on his shoulder and her left hand held onto a handful of his shirt as she leaned in close. Being around Maggie would be good for him. She was so young and still so innocent; she trusted him without question, and she interacted with him without a single reservation.

"Really?" Maggie asked, her eyes wide. "_That's_ his favorite drink?"

_Snapple_, Maria thought.

Michael turned his head to meet Maria's gaze over the little girl's head and for a moment he was sitting back in Roswell with a little boy in his lap, telling her to fetch him a Snapple. He shook his head to clear it before that train of thought could follow its natural path because it hadn't ended the way he had wanted it to… the way it should have. He focused on Maggie once more and nodded. "Yeah, guaranteed to put a smile on his face."

"Okay." Now she just had to make sure Daddy bought a Snapple for Santa.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Edward stepped into their bedroom and wrinkled his nose at Julia. "So, this is 'your office'?"

"Yes, it is."

"Funny. Looks more like our bedroom to me."

"Then you would be wrong. It's _my_ bedroom, I just let you sleep here with me," she responded, eyes twinkling mirthfully.

"Julia…"

"Edward… Look, I know today hasn't exactly gone according to plan…"

"It 'hasn't exactly gone according to plan'?" he repeated, exasperated. "Julia, no vacationers, no kids, nowhere to go, and nothing to do… how often does that happen? Almost never. You do remember our guests from…" he brought his hands up to make air quotes, "_Miami_, don't you? The ones who claim to be on their way to visit a friend in Sault Sainte Marie? The ones traveling in style with their cardboard boxes and black garbage sacks? Why is it not one single one of them has even asked to use the phone to call someone?" He shook his head.

She bit her lip, forcing her expression to stay neutral. It would just be wrong to let him know she found this humorous. It wasn't that the situation or his frustration was funny because they weren't. She looked up at her guy; warm, gentle, and not comfortable with too much talking and she decided to make her appeal from a different direction.

"Edward, we don't have to know or understand their situation to care. They're just kids and they need our help. It's Christmas." She took a deep breath. "You do remember the play we did as kids, don't you? You know, _No Room at the Inn_?"

He shook his head again. "Julia…"

"A young couple that was looking for a place for the night and the innkeepers all saying there were no rooms available?" she went on. "Well, we actually have an 'inn' of sorts. The cabins are just sitting empty."

"No, stop right there." He pointed in the direction of the kitchen. "That's not Mary and Joseph sittin' in our kitchen. They're an odd gang drivin' through the country in the Mystery Machine. And Michael… that boy's dangerous."

"Nonsense," she denied with conviction. "Protective, perhaps, but he doesn't come across as dangerous to me."

"Not dangerous?" he sputtered. "He's trouble, Julia, and you know how I know that."

Julia knew to wait it out and let her husband say his peace. She watched her strong, savvy man mentally looking at it from several different angles before finally coming to his own decision that she was right.

Edward shoved his hands into his pockets as he pulled in a deep breath and glanced around their room. He thought about Michael for a moment and then Maria, who seemed to be able to calm him simply with her presence; a look, a touch or a simple word or two. Their strong connection to each other was obvious. He hid a small snort as he remembered himself around Julia years ago when they were teenagers. Yes, in his mind they were a concern, Michael especially, but watching him with Maria and Maggie gave him just enough ease to give Julia what she wanted. After all, they would be out in the cabin. But still, he wondered what they were running from and why.

His eyes fell to their unmade bed and the sight of the rumpled sheets triggered his body's automatic reaction. He wondered at his chances of being with her tonight if he was the innkeeper who didn't have room for the weary travelers. He glanced at the traitorous window that revealed the dark beyond and in the light cast by the cheerful Christmas lights he could see the snow falling heavily. He shook his head at the futility of his argument.

Edward's stomach growled as he slipped his arm around Julia's waist and pulled her up against him. "Alright," he said finally, "but you're sooo gonna owe me for this." There was a glint in his eye as he met her gaze. "I'm hungry. Let's get back to Santa's burgers. And Julia, I expect my favorite cookies with the special frosting in the mornin' for breakfast."

Julia got up on her tiptoes and gave him a preview of what she had in mind for later. _Cookies for breakfast, yeah, right._ Her eyes shone with delight. "I think that can be arranged.

He opened his mouth to respond but the sound of the smoke alarm screeching in the kitchen stopped him from saying anything.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: **Some dialog in this part was taken from the episode _Graduation_.

**Part 10**

The shrill sound of an alarm suddenly pierced the air and Michael felt every nerve in his body respond to it. He jerked around, looking for the source of the noise and not finding it.

"Dinner's done!" the kids shouted out together before laughing.

He turned back around just as Brian got to his feet and hurried to silence the offending smoke detector.

"Damn, man, they take us in, feed us, an' give us a place to crash for the night an' you try to burn the place down?" Kyle asked, wincing at the sound.

"Ummm, you said a bad word," Maggie said, shaking her head at him.

Max laughed at that. "Looks like you're gonna be makin' a payment to the 'swear jar'," he said. "We had one of those back home, remember that, Iz?"

Isabel raised one imperious eyebrow at him. "I'm not the one who was a regular contributor to the 'swear jar' fund. You're the one who had the potty mouth."

Brian sat back down and shrugged when the others looked at him. "It's just somethin' that happens… usually goes off right before Mom puts dinner on the table."

Kyle squirmed when Maggie continued to stare at him. "I'll put money in the 'swear jar'," he said after several moments. "How much?" He turned when someone snorted behind him.

"We don't have a 'swear jar' 'round here," Edward said as he and Julia retook their seats. "You can roll your sleeves up and wash the dishes after supper."

He glared at Isabel when she had the audacity to laugh at him. He hated washing dishes more than just about any other household chore. Except maybe cleaning the toilet. _No,_ he decided after a moment, _he definitely hated that even more than doing the dishes._

"Julia and I were talkin' about your situation," Edward started only to be stopped when his wife placed a hand over his. "And she has somethin' to say."

"Regardless of the issue with your van it's likely to take a few days to repair," Julia said with a smile. "It is Christmastime after all and sometimes that will slow things down, and there's also a storm coming in." They were all tense, but none more so than Michael. "So Edward and I were talking about it and we'd like for you to stay with us." She watched Kyle as he got up to carry his plate over to the sink and she could tell his mind was already working over what she had said.

"In one of the cabins," Edward clarified. "We have a three bedroom cabin that sleeps eight." He tipped his head to one side as his gaze moved over them, waiting to see which one would speak first.

Kyle's right hand was in his pocket, his thumb rubbing against the warm metal of the old money clip that had belonged to his dad. "How much for three?"

"Three?" Edward asked, his ears practically standing upright at the possibility of renting not one, but three cabins in the off-season. "Well, lemme think a minute." He stood and started to pace around the room, his thumb rubbing over his mustache as he considered. He rested one shoulder against the refrigerator as he glanced from the group at his table to Kyle and back again. "Three of 'em, huh?"

Julia went to the counter under the guise of reaching for the coffee pot behind him and hissed, "Edward, you can't possibly charge them full price. It's Christmas and they're stranded!"

He mentally rolled his eyes. "I suppose I could knock some off the price if you're willin' to set the cabins up and clean 'em before you leave."

The thought of actually having room to breathe for a little while had Kyle nodding. He didn't even check with the others, already knowing that it would be an expenditure they would all agree on. It would take a chunk out of their cash reserve, but they were going crazy after so much togetherness and they all needed a respite.

He squeezed the money clip holding the money that had helped them to survive and he swallowed hard at the memory of how it had come to be in his possession…

"_I, ah… I won't ask you where you're goin', so I can honestly say I don't know… but I can tell you there are a lot of people looking for you… An' right now they think you're headed south to Mexico," Jim said._

_Confusion colored Kyle's features. "Why would they think that?"_

"_I guess they got an anonymous tip," he said with a smile. "I can get you to Arizona, then you're on your own…" He swallowed hard when his son nodded. "I mean, you're really on your own."_

_Kyle was silent for a moment. "Thanks, Dad."_

"_It's the least I could do," Jim choked out._

"_I mean… thanks for…" he couldn't find the words he needed to express himself. "Just… thanks."_

_His dad took his hat off and took a step forward to pull his son into a tight hug. He couldn't remember ever seeing his dad cry but they were both choking back tears._

"_I love you, Dad."_

"_I love you, too." He had kissed his son, finally releasing him and letting him go._

_It had been hours later when he had stuck his hands in his jacket pockets as he leaned back, trying to sleep. He frowned when he felt the thick fold of paper and he wrapped his hand around it, pulling it out and staring at it uncomprehendingly. It was money, he realized. He stared at the clip holding the neatly folded bills together and his eyes watered against his will as his finger traced over the emblem of a sheriff's badge engraved on one side. It had belonged to his grandfather and then his father… and now it was his._

_There had been a short note scribbled on a piece of coffee-stained paper torn out of a pocket-sized notebook: Take care of yourself. Figure you'll be needing this for more than college now. You're a man any father would be proud of, Kyle. _

Kyle forced his emotions back under control when he felt someone nudge him and he glanced at Isabel, nodding. His fingers rubbed over the clip once more. He was certain his dad had slipped it into his pocket at some point when he was hugging him so tightly, knowing that his son would've tried to refuse it if he'd given it to him outright.

He looked at Michael and he saw the sharp nod he gave in response to his decision. He had been entrusted with managing their finances and other than the pocket money that they each kept after working odd jobs here and there all of the money stayed with him.

Edward fixed his hamburger and took a bite, feeling the heat as soon as he started to chew. _Good Lord, he hadn't needed to add horseradish sauce to this thing,_ he thought as he swallowed. He glanced at Maggie, thankful she hadn't gotten one of these volcanic burgers. She was chattering happily and enjoying being the center of attention. She had obviously adopted Michael because he was getting special treatment.

"You're welcome to use the phone if you need to call your friend," he said as he sprinkled vinegar over his French fries.

"Daddy, you don't need that," Maggie said, wrinkling her nose. "You're gonna make Michael's fries all yucky."

Julia bit back a smile and motioned for her daughter to finish her own meal. "Leave Daddy alone."

"We're not expected until right before Christmas," Liz spoke up when she realized Edward was waiting for an answer. She could feel the glare from the other end of the table and as soon as the man of the house turned to answer a question from one of his boys she made a face at Michael.

"So, tell us about Christmas in Tawas Lake," Isabel said before Liz and Michael could turn each other into little piles of smoldering ashes. _Obvious much?_

Maggie's eyes lit up with excitement as she turned to look at Isabel. "Christmas here is fun!" she enthused. "Mr. Tony, he always let Santa come to his house. He lives over across the street an' everyone goes there to see him. All the kids from my class go too. See," she shifted around to sit on her knees again, "Mr. Tony, he gots to go away for his job when it's Christmastime so Mrs. Tony and the boys, they help Santa with everything he needs while he's here. The pretty Christmas lights are everywhere," she said, stretching her arms out as far as they would reach. "On the trees an' their log house – "

"Yeah, an' we get to play hockey an' skate out on the lake," Brian interrupted.

Maggie's mouth was still hanging open since she had been cut off right in the middle of her speech. "That's not nice, Brian."

He shrugged and helped himself to another burger.

"Tell us more," Isabel encouraged, feeling nostalgic.

"Oh!" Maggie clapped her hands together. "Mrs. Tony, she makes hot chocolate an' hot cider, an' cookies too, an' after you talk to Santa an' tell him what you want, the elves give you two cookies an' one of the drinks. You get to pick which one you want." She inhaled deeply and released it as she shook her head sadly. "Santa can't come this year," she said quietly, "'cause Mr. Tony, he went to heaven an' Mrs. Tony went to Florida with the boys."

Julia's heart went out to her little girl when her mouth puckered and started to tremble. "Santa will come on Christmas Eve, sweetie. You sent him a letter and he knows where we live."

"What if he don't? He always comes here with his elves to Mr. Tony's house an' now there's no one there. What if he forgets? It's not the same with just a letter."

Kyle could practically see the light bulb flash on over Isabel's head when she suddenly sat up straighter. _Oh, yeah, there it was,_ he thought. The crazed gleam that had just been waiting to get out had surfaced and there would be no containing it now. Little Maggie Stevens had just unknowingly unleashed the Christmas Nazi on unsuspecting Tawas Lake.

Max slowly shook his head when Isabel pushed her chair back. _No, no, no,_ he muttered silently. The Christmas insanity had started early in their childhood and he still equated each new round of holiday cheer with that first year when she had taken it upon herself to make Christmas her personal project. She had made him dress up like a reindeer, complete with a pair of antlers and a jingle bell that she'd hung around his neck and then threatened to beat him with it if he took it off.

Michael glanced up when he heard Max and Kyle both groan at the same time and his burger went ignored for a moment when Isabel gave him an unsubtle nudge. He shifted to the side and went back to eating, not interested in what she had to say when there was food and plenty of it in front of him.

Isabel hunkered down between him and Maggie and she smiled at the little girl. "Ya know, I know it's getting close to Christmas and it's kinda late notice, but I do happen to know a couple of elves…"

Maggie's eyes widened and her gaze lifted to Michael as if seeking confirmation.

"She does," he mumbled. "Snowflake an' Candy Cane."

The child's wondrous gaze zeroed in on Isabel. _She knew two of Santa's elves!_

"I'll bet they might just be willing to talk to Santa and see if he'll come to Lake Tawas."

"Really?" She paused, thinking. "But, Mr. Tony's house ain't decorated an' no one's there anymore. Where would he go? He's 'posed to be there for everyone."

"These elves are very special elves. They're…" she thought a moment, "Santa's chief elves."

Maggie wrinkled her nose. "What's that mean?"

"It means Snowflake has a lot of pull with Santa. She can convince him to do just about anything and I'm pretty sure once she hears how much it would mean to you for Santa to make a special trip and come for a visit…" She smiled at Michael. "He'd be happy to do just that."

Michael rolled his eyes. _Yeah, because he was ever doin' that again. He wasn't an idiot. He learned from his mistakes._

"What 'bout that other one? Candy Cane? Does she got lots of," she frowned, "pull with Santa?"

Michael snorted at that. _Yeah, talk your way outta that one._

Isabel cleared her throat. "Well, not exactly." A slow smile pulled her lips up at the corners as she glanced at her brother. _Oh, this was going to be a great Christmas!_ "But she does have lots of that pull with the elf who takes care of his reindeer. And as you know, the reindeer are very important to Santa."

Max nearly choked on a French fry that went down all wrong. The way she was looking at him made him nervous. Making him dress up as a reindeer all those years ago should've been a sign as to just how insane his sister was but his parents had assured him that it was a phase. They had obviously been mistaken.

"So, Santa might fly in with his two chief elves and his chief reindeer wrangler?" Kyle asked. He was trying hard not to laugh and he didn't even care about the death glares coming at him from both ends of the dinner table. He was just thankful that she hadn't decided that Santa had a chief sleigh mechanic and he had avoided some sort of elf costume. Yeah, he'd be drug around all of Tawas Lake and its surrounding areas to pull this insanity together, but at least he wouldn't be doing it in a pair of tights. He looked at Max and burst out laughing. _Poor guy wasn't gonna get off that lucky._


	11. Chapter 11

**Part 11**

Brian glanced at the clock. "Can I be excused?" He had a couple chapters to read for his history class and he knew unless homework was finished there wouldn't be a game to watch.

Julia raised an eyebrow as she looked at him. "I don't know, can you?"

Eddie snorted at him. "At least I can remember that one, doofus."

"May I be excused?" Brian asked, elbowing his brother as hard as he could get away with while Mom was watching them.

"You may." She shook her head when her oldest took off without another word to anyone at the table. Some days if she didn't know differently she'd swear her children had been raised in a barn. "Is your homework finished, Eddie?" The poor boy looked like he was parched and in need of massive amounts of water but she didn't comment on his flushed cheeks.

"Teacher assigned 20 math problems, but I got half of 'em done in class." He glanced down at his half-eaten second hamburger and tried not to wince. _He couldn't even feel his mouth anymore, how weird was that? What if he'd burned off his taste buds or something? Could that even happen?_ He was still talking normally so he was sure his tongue was still there… he just couldn't feel it.

"Well, if you're done eating then you should probably get that finished up before game time."

Julia glanced at her husband after Eddie had taken off, probably on his way to drink straight from the faucet in the bathroom sink. Edward was watching their guests as his right thumb thumped against the table continuously, a sure sign that something was bothering him. And she knew exactly what it was. He didn't want Maggie's hopes raised because she would only be hurt when things didn't work out.

With Tony Martin gone and his family relocated to Florida there had been no one there to pick up the slack and make Christmas on the Lake happen this year. His brother still lived in town, but he hadn't made any mention of continuing the tradition and no one had approached him about it so everyone had just accepted that it wasn't going to happen this year. It was barely two weeks before Christmas and pulling it together with so little time seemed an impossible task.

Maggie looked around at the others seated at the table before her gaze came to rest once more on Michael. "You know Santa… can you give him somethin' from me?"

He chewed the last bite of his burger, watching her thoughtfully for a moment before nodding. "Yeah."

"Okay." She dropped down out of her chair and ran halfway across the room before remembering her manners and she ran back to the table. "Can I be 'scused, Mama?" She fidgeted in place for a moment when Mama waited expectantly.

"_May I,_" Michael whispered from the corner of his mouth when he saw her trying to remember what she was supposed to say.

"OH! May I be 'scused?"

Edward cleared his throat and shifted, the old wooden chair squealing in protest at the move. "I know you're tryin' to make her feel better about Santa not comin' across the way this year, but don't make promises you can't keep. I don't want Maggie hurt when you can't deliver Santa." He shook his head and put his fork down. "I appreciate what you're tryin' to do here, but makin' her think you know Santa an' that you're gonna get him here…"

"Isabel's never made a promise she didn't keep," Kyle spoke up. "You want somethin' coordinated or organized, she's your woman, trust me."

Edward shook his head. _The Scooby gang was delusional._

"Haven't you ever seen Santa, Mr. Stevens?" Isabel asked as she straightened up to her full height behind Michael and reached around to lift his chin up. "Or his elves?" She nodded at the other girls and Max.

Kyle held his hands up when Edward looked at him. "I don't do tights," he said. He glanced at Max and grinned widely. "And seriously, between the two of us, Max is the only one who has the ears to pull off one of those pointy little hats."

Maggie ran back into the room before Edward could respond to that. She slid to a stop next to Michael, grinning up at him when he reached out to prevent her from falling. She thrust a piece of paper into his hand and latched onto his collar to pull him down so she could whisper in his ear. "That's for Santa… you'll give it to him, won't ya?"

"Well, alright, but, if Iz an' her elves can get him here," he turned his head to glare at Isabel when she flicked his ear. "_When_ she gets him here you might wanna give it to him yourself."

The little girl shook her head. "But you _know_ him. So if you give it to him an' tell him it's what I want more than anything then he'll really bring it."

Michael glanced down at the hand-drawn picture of… he turned it to the side and frowned down at it. _What the hell was it? A horse, maybe? The thing had long legs._ "That's um… wow, I've never seen one quite…" he turned it again, "… quite like that."

"Maggie, I think it's safe to say that Santa knows you want a puppy more than anything else, sweetie."

He shot a grateful look at Julia when she spoke up, identifying the mysterious animal in the picture.

Maria shifted over to take the seat Maggie had abandoned in favor of retrieving the picture she had drawn. She leaned into Michael, resting her chin on his shoulder as she looked down at the piece of paper with the 'dog' painstakingly drawn in yellow crayon. She drew in a short breath as she reached out to trace over it, feeling the ragged waxy lines. "Ohhh."

Michael's gaze shot to Edward when he suddenly pushed his chair back and stood up.

"You boys come with me. We'd best head down to the cabins, turn the heat up an' fire up those hot water tanks." He turned his head and his eyes settled on Kyle when he scooted back in his chair. "Huh-uh, not you," he said, shaking his head. "You can come on down after the dishes are done."

Max slapped his palms down on Kyle's shoulders as he leaned over him. "So, Kyle… I may end up with the pointy hat, but you're the one wearin' the frilly apron an' washin' dishes."

He smirked. "You're still the one wearin' the tights, El Presidente. I think I'll survive a frilly apron and dishpan hands."

"Yeah," Michael said as he stood and stretched, "but will you survive livin' with Isabel?" He was conscious of Maggie's watchful gaze as he carefully folded her picture and slid it into his pocket, right beside the receipt the tow truck driver had given him.

"You fellas grab those coats," Edward said, nodding at the coats Michael and Kyle had been wearing before. He motioned at the one Kyle had taken as he spoke to Max. "Go ahead an' wear Kyle's an' when we come back for the rest of the supplies I'll dig out my ice fishing coat for you."

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Kyle's steps were short as he attempted to follow Isabel to the front door of the cabin Edward had assigned them. He was doing his best not to fall on his face, relying on the back of her head to guide him. He tipped his head back, hooking his chin on top of the stack of supplies they had been given and pausing when she stopped suddenly.

"Keys."

He grunted and held his pinky finger out, shaking his hand to jingle the keys. He rolled his eyes when she took them and unlocked the door, pushing it open and looking around. "It's a little bit cold out here in case you hadn't noticed, Iz."

"Quaint," she muttered as she took several steps inside. Their things along with the toolbox were sitting on the floor near the small loveseat. She wandered around, leaving him to shut the door and check things out for himself.

Instead of investigating the cabin Kyle followed her to the first bedroom, nearly tripping over himself when she took a step back. "There a problem?"

She made a face that he couldn't see for the sheets and other supplies he held. "No, but we just found your room."

"How do you know it's mine?"

She snatched the set of sheets from the top of the pile and turned on her heel. "Because you're the one who didn't stop this insanity. These people now think we're married."

"Hey, you could've denied it… you were remarkably silent too."

She shook her head at him and took off across the hall. Kyle leaned into the room she had dismissed and he frowned at the twin bed there. "But there're no sheets for this bed," he complained.

"And whose fault is that?"

He sighed and trailed after her, leaning against the doorframe while he watched her make the bed. The full size bed with the warm flannel sheets. "Do I at least get a blanket?"

Isabel tucked the fitted sheet over one corner as she shot a glance at him.

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Maria laughed to herself as she finished smoothing the sheets over the bed, her mind retreating to their last few minutes in the house before the guys had come back in.

_Julia had been pulling supplies from the hall closet and handing them over. Towels, sheets and pillowcases were taken down and given to them, a set to Liz, a set to Maria and then a set to Isabel. "I've pulled out the flannel sheets for you. It's very cold out tonight."_

_Isabel traced her fingers over the reindeer that decorated the sheets. "Oh, how pretty. Just in time for Christmas. Thank you." She lifted her head and looked at Julia expectantly, waiting for her to hand Kyle a set of sheets as well. The smile on her face froze when the woman closed the door and turned around._

"_Now if you kids will just follow me we'll get the rest of your supplies together. It'll be enough to get you through until we can pick up supplies in town."_

"_Not one word," Isabel growled when Julia walked down the hall, expecting them to follow._

"_You ladies heard the wife," Kyle said with a teasing glint in his blue eyes. "No comments." He held his right arm out, motioning for her to lead the way. "After you, Mrs. Valenti."_

"_You do know you're taking your life in your own hands, right?" Liz asked when her sister-in-law leveled a look on Kyle that could've conceivably flayed the skin from his bones._

"_They already think we're married an' we're sharin' a cabin… I'm not about to try an' correct this misunderstanding. So until you come up with a better explanation… it looks like I'm a married man."_

Michael watched her from across the room, captivated by the way her eyes lit up as she thought about something she found humorous. "What're you laughin' at?"

She looked up and shook her head. "I was just picturing Kyle and Isabel as a married couple."

He snorted as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Maria finished spreading the covers over the bed, walking around to the other side to even it out. "You should go see if Kyle wants to watch the game."

Julia had told them to come back up to the house if they felt like watching the game and Maria knew he could use a couple of hours doing something normal. She tipped her head to one side, scrutinizing his demeanor. Being around Maggie had allowed him to relax fractionally for a little while, but now that they were alone again that hyper-vigilance had become focused solely on her again. She could read his discomfort at the thought of leaving her alone in the cabin; it was etched plainly in his body language.

The cabin they had been given was the one farthest from the house and it was also a fair distance from the other cabins too. "I'm safe here, Michael."

"We don't know that."

"The only thing behind us is a lake and the only road that we've seen is the highway that runs in front of the Stevens' house… their living room window looks out over the driveway so you'd see anyone coming here." She walked over to him and grabbed his arm, turning him to face the door. "Go, watch the game. If you're in the mood for a rescue, stop by and save Kyle from whatever revenge _Mrs. Valenti_ has planned."

Michael locked his knees, standing still for a moment as he looked around the cabin before lowering his gaze to her. "Lock the door," he said as he crossed to the front door and reached for the doorknob.

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Max pushed the door open and leaned inside, dropping everything he was carrying on the floor and then reaching for the things in Liz' arms. He tossed the sheets and towels on top of the rest of their supplies and turned to scoop her up in his arms.

"Max!" Liz protested with a slight laugh. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he carried her over the threshold. "Put me down." He was overcompensating in an effort to make everything seem as normal as possible and she knew she could easily let herself be swept away and lose sight of the reality of their situation.

He kicked the door shut before complying with her demand and setting her on her feet. "Edward gave us the Honeymoon Cabin."

Liz looked around at the charming little cabin before turning back to look at Max. Her husband. _How surreal was that?_ She was married to an alien/human hybrid and on the run for her life. She wished that being on the run from people who wanted to study and exterminate them were the only things weighing down on them.

Max followed her around as she checked the cabin out and he felt his body kick into overdrive when she entered the bedroom. They hadn't been alone like this in… months, he realized. Not since the night they had become husband and wife. He glanced down at his wedding ring, remembering the simple ceremony and the night that had followed.

Liz knew there were still things between them that had never been settled, things that should have been talked about before they even thought about getting married, but when the opportunity had presented itself they had taken it. She wanted things to be right with them but the unresolved problems weren't things that could be settled in a single evening and they weren't things they could discuss in the van surrounded by their family and friends. The last thing they needed was for their problems to become a roundtable discussion so everyone could choose a side.

She turned her head to look at him, seeing the need to make up for everything that had happened and to have a bit of normalcy. He craved it more now than ever before. Sometimes it was hard to remember that they weren't even out of their teens yet. He had been a king in another life, made decisions that had determined the fates of those he ruled, but here and now he wanted nothing to do with that life.

Even though she knew there were several things between them tonight wasn't the time to bring them up. They had a chance for a normal evening and she wanted that as much as he did so what was the harm it letting things go for one more night? From the way it sounded they were going to be here for several days at least so maybe she could leave it for just a while longer.

Max raised his head when she took a couple of steps towards him and he smiled tentatively when she reached out to him, her hand coming to rest against his chest. He raised his hand to cover hers, pressing it tightly over his heart.

She couldn't stop the wondrous smile that lifted the corners of her mouth at the feel of his racing heart. Her eyes moved up from their hands, pausing at his throat to watch his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed convulsively. His lips were slightly parted, his nostrils flaring, and his eyes were nearly black as the amber irises retracted to thin rings around his dilated pupils.

"Max," she whispered.

"Yeah?" He sounded strangled.

"We need the blankets and sheets."

"Blankets and…" His gaze shot to the bed behind her and he turned to run from the room. She flopped back on the bed, laughing when she heard himself trip over something in his haste to retrieve the pile of linens he had dropped on the floor. Her fingertips ran over the mattress, tracing over the patters stitched into the material. They were alone. Really alone for the first time in so long and at that moment she couldn't think of a single thing that could be better.


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note: **A few lines in this part were borrowed from the episode Significant Others.

**Part 12**

Maria stood in the center of the main room of the cabin after Michael left to go collect Kyle so they could watch the hockey game. Her eyes were closed as she waited, letting her senses grow accustomed to her surroundings. She stretched her arms out, her fingertips coming in contact with nothing but space and more space. The cabin was small but considering the amount of room she'd had for the last few months it felt like freedom. She inhaled deeply, drawing in the strong scent of wood burning, the underlying scents of fresh laundry detergent on the linens and the waxy smell of old candles. The only sound that dared to break the silence was that of the logs shifting in the fireplace as the flames burned causing the logs to crackle and shift. She could feel the warmth from the fire and knew without looking that her face and the exposed skin of her arms would have a pinkish flush from the heat.

She slowly opened her eyes, lowering her arms to her sides as she took in the way the cabin was furnished and decorated. It was really a large room, the bath being the only thing separate. Her eyes wandered around the living area, taking in floor with its wide wooden planks and the soft woven area rug that covered it. The seafoam green and ivory pattern of the rug matched the curtains on the double hung windows. She took a step closer to the fireplace, reaching out to run her fingers over the commemorative plate depicting the opening of the Mackinac Bridge. She leaned in closer to look at the date: November 1, 1957. Good grief, it was older than her mother!

Her gaze moved on, taking in the old windup clock flanked by a pair of cinnamon scented candlesticks. She turned to look at the canopied bed she had made earlier, thinking that the lack of a comment about the girly bed was yet another sign that Michael was preoccupied. And it wasn't just because of his heightened awareness of their situation. She looked at the old cedar chest at the foot of the bed, the surface of the chest providing a resting place for their things.

The space was small and warm, but most of all it felt safe and comfortable. She turned to the fireplace once more, her eyes landing on the mantle once more and suddenly being reminded of an old oil painting that had hung in her home as a child. She smiled as she remembered her mom haggling with the owner at a garage sale before paying half of the asking price and walking away with it. She had spent hours staring at it, dreaming of the day her father would appear at the front door and take them someplace warm and safe. Home.

Not that long ago warmth, safety and home had become wrapped up in Michael. She had wanted that for them and when he had stayed for her, he had become that for her… her thoughts turned dark as they veered to Billy's visit. And then to another time when she had walked away from him, hurt him in an unforgivable manner. How had she forgotten that comfortable place with Michael? She pushed those thoughts away, not ready to bring them out yet.

Instead she walked over to the bed, fingers trailing over the old wooden post at one end as she passed it to sit down. She couldn't seem to escape the memories as they tugged at her conscience and fought to surface. The last time she had been alone in a bed with Michael, the feeling of being with him again… thoughts that were quickly overshadowed by what had happened afterwards. Once again she shook them off and focused on the reading material placed by the bed.

She smiled at the feel of the squishy mattress as she settled and reached for the stack of books on the nightstand. They were old, well-read, the pages yellowed from age and the bindings creased from many reads. As she flipped the first one open she could hear the crackle of old paper. She glanced at the title. _Moby Dick._ "Freudians must have a field day with that," she muttered as she set it aside. _East of Eden_ was next and was added to the first book. _Robinson Caruso_. A good story, but she wasn't in the mood for it. She set it on top of the other two and looked at the cover of the last one. _The Fugitive_. "Well, maybe." She set it next to her on the bed and looked around once more.

Not a single romance novel or fashion magazine in sight. She stretched out on the bed and reached for a magazine on the other nightstand, sliding it out from under an old Bible. _My luck isn't getting any better,_ she thought when she saw the faded cover of an ancient copy of _Better Homes and Gardens_ dated 1982. Okay, maybe ancient was the wrong word since it wasn't much older than she was.

She rolled off of the bed and went to investigate the bathroom, biting her bottom lip and closing her eyes as she reached inside and felt around for the switch. It was a cabin after all… the bathroom could be something straight out of a horror movie. She finally found the switch and flipped it up, peering around the doorway to look inside.

"Oh, not bad," she breathed as she took a couple of steps inside. The little room was warm and inviting like the rest of the cabin. Her eyes rested on the claw-footed tub across from her, the sides of it clean and white. She hadn't cared much for claw-footed bathtubs since she'd had the misfortune of seeing the one in Michael's apartment. His had been creepy with cobwebs and corroded piping hiding underneath and she had hated it on sight.

The cabin was significantly older than his apartment but care had been taken to keep the piping out of sight and the floor was made of planked wood that was well-kept and clean. She followed the shower fittings and made a quiet sound of surprise when she saw there was no showerhead. She decided the showerhead made no difference because it had been too long since she'd been able to enjoy the luxury of a bath. And how long had it been since she hadn't had to share a bathroom with five other people?

She started the water, rinsing the tub out before plugging it and letting the water run for a bath. In the box of supplies Julia had sent with them she found pleasantly-scented bath soap, shampoo and some fluffy towels along with washcloths. She walked back into the bathroom to check the water before setting the towels on one side of the sink. She reached up to touch the nightlight in the shape of an outhouse plugged into the outlet, smiling at the little door with the crescent moon opening that allowed the light to escape.

On the back of the sink there was a soap holder in the shape of a canoe that held an unopened bar of soap. She paused when she heard a muted scratching sound but a moment later it stopped and her gaze dropped to the basket of magazines next to the toilet. _Probably just a draft ruffling the pages,_ she thought before turning her head to the side to read the name of the periodicals. _Ungh, hunting and fishing magazines._ _Well, that made sense,_ she supposed. It generally wasn't women who used the bathroom as their personal reading room.

She checked the window above the mini library to make sure no one could see inside before going back to the bathtub once more. The water would be ready in just a few minutes so she hurried back out into the main room to grab the book she'd selected along with one of the candles and a book of matches from the kitchen.

With the candle burning and the scent of cinnamon beginning to waft through the air, she stripped out of her clothes and turned the water off. She stepped into the tub and slid down into the warm water, sighing at the familiar feeling. "Hello, old friend," she murmured as she sank down to her chin, the fingers of one hand caressing the edge of the tub.

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The front door closed behind Kyle and Michael with a quiet click and Isabel couldn't help but notice that it was the same style door as the one that had been on Michael's apartments. _With fewer coats of paint though,_ she thought. Style and Michael's apartment. Now there were two things that just didn't belong in the same sentence. She turned to lean back against the door, moving away from it when she registered the cold at her back. For a moment she wondered why Michael wasn't with Maria… their first night all alone and he was going to watch a hockey game while she hung out in the cabin by herself. _Leave it alone,_ she mused.

The carpet beneath her feet was a funky shade of brown, but soft and clean. She scanned the living area and decided that it appeared someone had tried to color coordinate with the rather hideous bronze-like loveseat. The olive green vinyl recliner was an eyesore but it complemented the eclectic décor. The room's saving grace was the woven curtains in a lovely shade of ivory that dressed the windows and brought out the warm tones of the paneling that covered the walls.

_The cabin was definitely a step up from the old apartment,_ she decided as she wandered into the kitchen with actual doors on the cabinets. There was a list of instructions laminated on the front of one of the cabinets next to the sink, detailing the use of appliances and the condition they should be left in before the occupants checked out. The small window above it was covered with a pair of yellow and white checkered curtains. She wrinkled her nose at the awful lime green linoleum that covered the floor, certain it had to be something put down in the seventies. Surely no one had used anything in that shade since then.

She walked over to the small white refrigerator, fingertips ghosting over the front that lacked a water dispenser. She didn't need to open it to know that it wouldn't have an icemaker inside either. She moved in front of the white cabinets, glancing over the nautical handles while looking for the dishwasher.

She walked over to the small nook, taking in the small table, two chairs and a bench placed under a second window with curtains that matched those over the sink. A small smile crept across her face as her gaze landed on the smallest stove she had ever seen and then back to the instructions on the cabinet. She wouldn't need to bother with them since she wouldn't know what to do with a stove beyond heating up a frozen pizza anyway.

She wandered out of the kitchen and glanced at the two open doorways on the wall to the right of the living room. She wondered once again why neither of the bedrooms had doors but let the thought go as she glanced at the wall heater. She entered the one she had chosen, staring at the full size bed without a headboard fitted up against the wall in the corner. There was just enough room for the bedside table, complete with attached lamp to fit. Below the lamp was an old-fashioned battery-operated alarm clock in the shape of a lantern. "We had to breakdown in the sticks," she muttered under her breath when the sound of the clock ticking loudly caught her attention.

She smiled slightly at the window framed by pretty white lace curtains and the shade beneath already pulled down. A small shelf made of a warm honey-colored wood was mounted to the wall above the bed with a framed picture of a lake at sunrise. She braced one knee on the mattress and leaned in to read the caption below: Lake Huron at Sunrise. _Lake Huron, that was one of the Great Lakes, right?_ She rolled her eyes. She was pretty sure it was, but geography hadn't been one of her best subjects.

Next to the open closet door a full-length mirror hung on the wall. She ignored it as she leaned into the closet and glanced at the four-drawer chest tucked inside. She made a face as the scent of mothballs reached her nose. "Disgusting," she mumbled under her breath as she took a step back and glanced at the doorway that led to the bathroom placed between the bedrooms. Her eyes widened in disbelief when she stepped into the room and was immediately grateful that she didn't have a problem with claustrophobia.

The room wasn't small, that would've been a kind description of its size. The word miniscule came to mind. She flipped the light switch and nearly jumped out of her skin when she hit the second switch by mistake and the room was filled with a sound similar to a jet plane taking off. She smacked the second switch back into place and glared up at the exhaust fan. _Note to self: Never hit that switch again._ To her right was a tiny sink and above it a tiny mirror with a chip at the bottom. She pulled the mirrored cabinet open and reached for the bottle of bath wash, opening it up and sniffing it. _Well, that was a nice floral fragrance._ She snickered to herself._ Kyle was sooo gonna smell like a girl._

Between the sink and the back wall was the toilet. Her expression was slightly pained when she took in the white rug with the bumblebee pattern… that matched the shower curtain and the little night light. To her left was the… she grimaced and then swallowed hard. A shower stall, no bathtub. She reached out with one finger and pushed the tacky curtain back, biting her lip as she craned her neck to see inside. Ungh, that was just so gross. It couldn't be more than a two-foot by two-foot space with a drain in the center of the bottom of the stall. She shuddered and stepped back, retreating to the safety of the living area.

She glanced at a picture of a black lab hanging on the wall behind the loveseat before sitting down and staring at the small 19-inch television sitting across from her. She reached for the channel guide on the rectangular coffee table with the drop-leaves, absently noting the crooked hinge on one side. She flipped through it and frowned at the whole ten channels listed. The basic four, hunting, fishing, local and a weather channel. She shook her head and turned to look at the front door when the wind gusted but something red caught her eye before she made it to the door.

She got up to go and investigate and she froze in place when she saw the little rocking chair occupied by a creepy clown. The thing had bright red hair, big black eyes that seemed to follow her no matter which way she moved, a red nose, and the most sinister smile she had ever seen on a clown. It was wearing some sort of multi-colored outfit that just added to the overall creepiness of the thing.

"No way," she said, just to hear her own voice. "You've gotta go." She glanced around, looking for a place to hide the hideous thing. She snatched it up and carried it over to the tiny broom closet in the kitchen, shoving it up onto the shelf and then jerking her hand back to slam the door. She leaned back against it for just a moment before taking a deep breath and shaking her head at her own behavior. She hated clowns and she especially hated that one. She had only taken half a dozen steps when she heard a creaking sound behind her and she slowly turned to see the broom closet door creeping open. She lunged forward and shoved the door shut once more, checking the doorknob to be sure the latch had caught this time. She stepped back and stared at it, making sure it wasn't going to open again and breathing easier when it stayed in place. She ran her hands over her sides, clearing her throat and going back into the living area. _Thank God Kyle hadn't been here to see that,_ she thought. If he'd seen that thing he would've had a field day with it! He knew clowns freaked her out and he thought it was hilarious.

She settled down on the loveseat again, grabbing the remote and turning the television on. She started on the lowest channel first and moved up through the big ten. Talk show. "Crap." Reality show. "Crap." Hockey game. "Crap." Hunting, fishing, weather and another talk show. "Crap, crap, crap and crap." The next channel was another hunting channel and she landed on it just in time to see a deer get shot. "Sick." She turned the television off and tossed the remote back on the coffee table.

She got up and walked over to check out the little corner shelf, thinking maybe there was something there she could read. She crouched down in front of it, glancing at the stack of _Better Homes and Gardens_… the entire year of 1989. "Pass." _The White Indian_, several of the _Hardy Boys_ mysteries, a romance novel. "Historical, juvenile, and mindless… pass, pass and pass." She checked the bottom shelf… a couple of puzzles, card games and a set of dominoes. She sighed and got up again, looking around the room, desperate for something to keep her mind busy.

She grabbed her bags and carried them into her room, opening them up and pulling her clothes out. She started hanging them up in the closet, feeling a little better once the bags were emptied. She was sitting on the bed, folding the black bags as she thought about the Stevens' mistakenly thinking that she and Kyle were married. Her first instinct had been to correct their incorrect assumption, but she had hesitated just a moment too long and it had gotten awkward. Maybe she should've just spoken up, set them straight, but even though it wasn't true it felt nice to 'belong' to someone. She missed that feeling and being around two couples 24/7 just constantly drove it home that she was alone.

Just a year ago she hadn't been alone, she had been with Jesse and her parents had been close by, no farther than a phone call away. She had been in the middle of organizing every possible Christmas activity in Roswell while trying to find a way to merge her and her new husband's lives and traditions. It had been difficult to get through the holidays without telling him the truth. _How was it that she and Alex hadn't spent Christmas together? No, don't go there, Isabel._

She shook her head as her mind wandered to the conversation she'd had with Max about letting Jesse in on the secret. She had felt like a five-year-old, going to her brother and Michael to basically ask their permission to tell Jesse the truth, to let him in on the secret. Predictably, Michael had seen no reason to break their pact and allow someone else in, not even at her request. And Max had been adamant in his belief that telling him would be a mistake.

"_Think about Jesse, Isabel. We agreed not to tell anyone else after Alex died because we didn't want to put anyone else at risk. The second you tell Jesse, his life changes… forever. He becomes a part of a secret he didn't ask to be part of. You can't tell him, Isabel. For his sake._

Max had been right about that. Things had never been the same once Jesse had known the truth. _Would it have made a difference if she had told him earlier? If she had been the one to tell him instead of him learning the truth under such disastrous circumstances?_ She stared at the few items of clothing hanging in the closet and shoved her thoughts back away from that subject. Did it matter? She reached for the doorknob, intent on slamming the door and frowning when she remembered that there was no door. She shot a dirty look at the curtain that served as a door and turned to leave the room since jerking it across the closet wouldn't give the same satisfaction as slamming a door.

In the living area once more she glared at the furniture as if it had somehow offended more than her sense of style. She knew why the thoughts were surfacing and there was only one way to silence them. She had to stay busy. If she could tire herself out she could go to bed and sleep though the night without having to worry about them again tonight. She studied the arrangement of furniture and mentally began mapping out a new layout.


	13. Chapter 13

**Part 13**

The sound of heavy breathing was accompanied by the staccato thumping of the old brass headboard as it made contact with the wall. The moon's glow, visible only as a halo around the clouds cast white light that spilled through the window above the nightstand. Snowflakes fell on the other side of the window, their playful dance on the wind unnoticed by the couple lost in each other.

Liz looked up at the man she had married, the man she loved with everything she had and her fingertips brushed over his cheek and down to his neck. The feeling of his weight, something so new and yet so familiar made her feel safe, wanted and loved. Her body easily fell into rhythm with his and as she felt the beginning of that headlong rush into ecstasy her hand scrabbled for purchase, finally finding it as she wrapped her fingers around the headboard.

Their lips met in a kiss that was deep and soul-stirring but in spite of that the flashes that had once been so prevalent, that part of their connection was lacking. She pushed away the thought that she couldn't remember the last time they had made love and she had experienced that with him. She didn't know if they were both blocking it consciously or unconsciously, or if they had both closed themselves off that way.

The times they had been able to be together without feeling rushed, to enjoy each other the way they wanted to, had been few and far between. There was no way for them to spend time alone on a regular basis, not with the life they were leading. Moments like this were rare and something to be cherished and it gave them a reprieve from things that needed to be dealt with. As their bodies began to come down from the sexual high and their breathing evened out, Max quickly fell into what Maria had referred to as the 'post-sex coma'.

Liz reached up to trace her fingers over his shadowed jaw, feeling the rasp of stubble and smiling. This was a side of Max that no one else ever saw; the passionate, primal side that most people would probably never suspect was hidden just beneath the surface. This was the Max that belonged to her exclusively.

_But you're not the only one who's ever known this side of him. She gave him something you haven't… something that no matter what can never be taken away._

She shoved the nagging thought away. She hated it when either of them intruded on these moments with Max. She focused instead on his eager expression when he'd come running back into the bedroom earlier. _Eager,_ she snorted. _Lustful, maybe. No, definitely lustful._ She had taken the sheets from him, leaving him holding the blankets and pillows. She had taken her time making the bed, leaning over to stretch across the mattress to tuck the fitted sheet over the corners. She had made sure her movements were slow and deliberate, teasing him and waiting for him to reach his breaking point. She had learned that since they had become lovers she could get him to that point without having to work too hard. Especially when he was in certain moods… like tonight.

His eyes had followed every move she made and she knew he could've cared less about the sheets or blankets. She could read his thoughts as easily as if he had spoken them aloud. _They were just going to mess the bed up anyway, so why bother?_ He was standing there as she took the pillows from him, giving her that look; chin down, watching her through his lashes. He was trying to play it cool and she knew it wouldn't take much more before he lost it. She had upped the ante just a bit, running her fingers over the cool sheets as she glanced at him from the corner of her eye.

"Our bed, Max. It's so weird." He had moved closer, crowding her, his breath teasing the back of her neck. Her voice had been breathless, a side effect of his nearness, but she had continued to tease him. "The bed's almost made… we just need… the blankets…"

He had been so close he had practically been plastered to her back as he inhaled deeply, drawing her scent in. He had thrown the blankets on the floor as some point because she knew there was nothing but the layers of their clothes between them. He had taken her arm, turning her around and lowering his mouth to hers in a kiss that had completely wiped out any thoughts of making the bed.

She smiled to herself and shook her head at him. It hadn't taken long for him to snatch those blankets up off of the floor afterwards though. He was all covered up and she knew it wouldn't be long before he started to snore. _Thank God he didn't snore loud enough to rattle the window panes,_ she mused as she leaned over to kiss him before slipping from the bed.

She pulled one of Max's shirts on and walked through to the living room. The silence, broken only by the sound of her husband's soft snoring, surrounded her as she moved past the sofa, her fingertips trailing along its back. There was a spindled rocking chair with a teddy bear sitting on it, barely visible in the dim light cast by the small nightlight in the kitchen. Her attention was caught by the outline of a book on the mantle above the fireplace. As she moved closer she could see the pen lying next to it.

The heat from the electric fireplace brushed against her legs as she reached up to let her fingers ghost over the binding of the book. She picked it up, rubbing her palm over the butter-soft cover before flipping it open. She carried it over to the kitchen, leaning against the counter and scanning over the pages. It was a journal for visitors to write in, to share their stories for others to read.

There was a time when simply looking at a journal would cause her fingers to itch, the need to write almost compulsive. She missed writing her thoughts down. It had been a way of getting out of her head, putting chaotic thoughts and feelings down and then going back and finding order in them. Her old journal had been filled with chaos, but with innocence underlying the words. That journal had been sent to her dad in the hope that it and the explanations within would help her parents deal with what had happened.

Max had bought her a new one months ago but she hadn't been able to put pen to paper. There were many nights sitting at various campgrounds and roadside stops when she had pulled it out and gone as far as to open it up, but the words would not reveal themselves. The blank pages would stare up at her mockingly, the pen in her hand a useless weight, and still the words would not come. She had finally packed it in her bag where it had stayed, unopened and ignored.

She read a humorous story written by a 16-year-old girl who had been 'stuck' in the Honeymoon cabin with her parents because it had been the only cabin available at the time. The rant was likely not supposed to be humorous but it was and she felt a familiar ache in her chest. It was a reminder of what she had left behind: her innocence, although life had already started to chip away at that prior to graduation, her dreams of Harvard, of being the head of molecular biology. She missed having dreams and goals that someone her age, someone 'normal' would have. She had left normal long ago, a choice that in some ways had never been hers to make. The day at the Crashdown when Max had saved her, the course of her life had been altered.

She didn't regret her choice to leave with Max, but there were other things she did regret, things that she wished she had done differently… things she wished she had said. She carried the cabin journal back over to the mantle, placing it beside the pen and turning to go back to the bedroom. Her gaze fell on his sleeping face, his relaxed features reminding her of the boy he had been the day he had saved her life. She lifted the covers after a tug-o-war match and slid in beside her husband, grateful for his body heat and the sleep-warmed sheets. She smiled when his arm came around her waist and she could feel his breath against the back of her neck. No, it wasn't conventional and it wasn't 'normal' but she wouldn't trade being with Max for either of those things.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Kyle trudged through the snow next to Michael, using him as a shield against the biting wind. He could see the cabins up ahead and he rolled his eyes when he saw that every light in his looked to be out.

"Problem?" Michael asked when he heard his companion sigh.

"Just thinkin' she could've left a light on."

"I'd watch what I say to her if I were you." He smirked and shook his head, glancing at the black trash bag in Kyle's arms. "She finds out you told Julia," he held his hands up to make finger quotes, "you'd like to get sheets for the smaller bed because 'the wife's in a mood' an' she'll make your life a livin' hell."

Kyle shifted the sheets and blankets that Julia had collected for him and then covered in a large trash sack to keep them from getting wet from the heavily-falling snow. "Hey, I'm not the one who said we were married."

"You didn't deny it either. As far as she's concerned, that's on you."

"Yeah, I know how it works." He paused for a moment, stopping in his tracks. "Michael."

Michael stopped and turned to look at him. "Kyle." He already knew what was coming. He had known it from the moment he had decided to get back to Maria just before the third period of the game started. He had said it was time to go and Kyle had told him to go on, he'd be out later after the game. It would've kept him separated from the rest of the group with no one to watch his back and Michael had insisted that they leave.

"You're gonna have to cool it, especially around Edward. He's been suspicious of us from the beginning but displays like that back there? Either he's gonna think the two of us have some kinda _Brokeback Mountain_ thing goin' on, or worse," he made a face, "he's gonna think we've got somethin' to hide. As much as I hate to admit it, I'd rather he thought the first because it's the safer of the two, but I think we both know between our situation and your hyper-vigilant state he's not gonna drop the thought that we're hidin' somethin' or runnin' from somethin' or both." He shook his head when Michael started to walk again and he hurried to catch up with him. "Look, man, I know why you're like this, okay? And I know you haven't had time to really decompress since that day, but you're gonna have him thinkin' maybe he needs to make some calls and right now we're already skatin' on thin ice. We can't afford the extra attention, that's all I'm sayin'."

Michael gave a sharp nod but didn't say another word as they reached Kyle's cabin and the other guy made his way to his front door. He waited, making sure he was inside before he set out along the old road that was only slightly visible since the snow was higher at its edges. It was still snowing heavily and the tracks they had made going up to the house earlier had been covered in the time they had spent watching the game.

He knew his decision to go back to the cabins had been rather sudden, but he hadn't been able to leave Maria alone any longer. He stared at the little cabin in the distance, one end of it visible as he rounded the slight curve where the three-bedroom cabin sat several hundred yards in front of it. He was right and Michael knew it, but he couldn't just shelve that hyper-vigilance as Kyle had called it. He had felt like an overloaded circuit since that day…

_They had stopped at a gas station to fuel up and grab some sandwiches and he had spotted the sheriff's cruiser right away from his position near the pump. His hand had tightened on the nozzle's handle as he reached up to bang on the window to get Max and Kyle's attention. "Where're the girls?" he barked when Kyle appeared._

"_Uh, I believe they were plannin' to run in to buy disinfectant and sandwiches after their visit to what Iz referred to as 'that toxic bathroom'."_

_He had kept his head lowered, but his eyes had been locked on the station, straining to see if the girls were on their way out yet. Relief was short-lived when he saw Isabel and Liz on their way back from the restroom because it only took a moment to realize that Maria wasn't with them. His heart had been hammering when he saw the cop stop next to an employee cleaning up the parking lot and point in their direction._

"_Where's Maria?" he had growled as the girls climbed inside._

_He had seen the fear in Liz's eyes when he had pointed the cop out. "We ordered sandwiches before going to the restroom. Maria was the first one out so she said she'd grab our order and meet us back here."_

_He had been on edge, ready to storm the little shop to get Maria when Max had spoken up, telling him to get back in the van. He had done it, knowing they had to keep a low profile, but his mind had screamed at him relentlessly. He had sat behind the steering wheel, unable to keep the tension from hammering at him as he watched the cop. Maria had appeared, her back pressed against the door as she tried to juggle the takeout sacks while making her exit._

_His nerves had been strung so tight it felt as if they might snap one by one as the cop had moved to open the door for her, smiling and chatting her up as he pointed to the van. He couldn't hear what they were saying of course, but he could see Maria using her shining smile and those eyes on the cop. He had been terrified that they'd been made, terrified that at any moment the cop was gonna grab her, and their options had been limited to bad and worse. Regardless, he couldn't, wouldn't drive away without her. _

_That trapped feeling began to close in on him again at the reminder that his actions always seemed to be failures or inconsequential. He had been gripping the steering wheel hard enough that it felt like it could snap when Kyle had spoken up._

"_Just stay cool. I grew up around cops, remember? Just stay cool and be quiet."_

_It was at that moment that the sound of a horn had pierced the air and he had glanced at the rearview mirror, glaring at the impatient driver making a rude gesture through the windshield. Bastard was lucky he didn't have the time or luxury of getting out and telling him a thing or two. His gaze had shifted back to Maria after the momentary lapse, watching her walk to the van as the cop disappeared into the station._

"_Just what the hell were you girls thinking?" he exploded as he pulled onto the highway and shoved the accelerator to the floorboard._

"_You mean me, Michael, just say it," Maria snapped. "The only human in the group without secret powers." She shook her head at him as Kyle took the sacks from her. "It was fine… I'm fine. The cop was just interested in the van 'cause it's a classic. He pointed our van out and made some comments about it. Guy had a thing for old cars and vans." She turned her head to stare out the window on her side. "It was no big deal. I may be human but I can handle myself."_

_The problem with her argument was that he knew differently. He could 'see' her and he knew it had shaken her up. It only served to further piss him off that she was putting up a front and giving him a hard time for not trusting a human. It had only gotten worse when she had continued her rant._

"_I didn't need your help, Michael. I'm not some damsel in distress!"_

_It had been the final straw and he had been oblivious to the protests from the others when he had jerked the wheel to the right to get off of the highway, pulling into a roadside park and slamming on the brakes between an RV and an 18-wheeler. He hadn't even looked at Max when he threw the keys at him with enough force that the other guy had yelled at him. "Wait here." He had turned to Maria. "Get outta the van."_

_Her eyes had blazed defiantly. "No."_

"_Michael let it go," Max advised._

"_Mind your own business," he snarled as he pinned Max with a hard glare before turning back to the woman in the passenger's seat. "Get out of the van, Maria. NOW!" She had been gritting her teeth as she rolled her eyes at him but she had finally gotten out. He had barely been aware of Kyle speaking up, deciding that since they were stopped and food was in his hands it was time for lunch._

_He had rounded the front of the van and grabbed her hand, pulling her with him as he stomped past trees and picnic tables. He had scanned their surroundings, making sure they were alone before he had suddenly turned, pinning her up against a tree. He had crowded her, unaware that his eyes were red, his face was set in stone, or that his fists had been clenched so tightly. "Do you have any idea what they did to Max in that white room? I dream about it every damn night, Maria! That cop noticin' the van, stoppin' to talk to you? It was a goddamned big deal!"_

_She had opened her mouth to try and say something but he had silenced her with a look._

"_Do you have any idea what my nightmare is? It's not me in that white room, Maria. It's not Max or Isabel or anyone else. It's you! You in that white room while they…" His eyes had been glassy with unshed tears and beads of perspiration had appeared on his brow._

_She had reached for him and that was all it had taken._

_His mouth had crashed onto hers, his kiss desperate and bruising. He hadn't been able to get close enough to her as he shrugged out of his jacket, every breath sawing past his lips raggedly. He had maneuvered her backwards into a tiny clearing, throwing his jacket down before lowering her to the ground._

_His eyes had locked onto hers as he tried to catch his breath, needing to see her. He had felt her hands gripping his shoulders, heard her voice as she whispered his name on a ragged pant. He had seen something wet hit her cheeks, unable to acknowledge it as tears from his own eyes as he had started to move urgently. Afterwards he had rolled them over so that she was on top and she had collapsed in his arms._

_As soon as his breathing had calmed he had gotten up and straightened his clothes. Maria was lying back on the grass, her clothes a mess, her hair out of sorts and her lips red and swollen. "Stay here, I'll be back." He hadn't waited for her to acknowledge his command; he had gone back to the van and taken their sandwiches, extra napkins, and her bag. His expression had dared anyone to question him but no one had said a word._

_After returning to her he had settled beside her in silence, placing the sandwiches close by and reaching over to gently clean her up. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that."_

_Her eyes had fallen to the grass as she slowly shook her head._

He could feel his heart pounding as he remembered that day as if it had just happened moments ago. The memory brought all of those feelings to the surface and his body thrummed with tension… with frustration. He had never been like that with her before and with the uncertainty of their relationship he felt like he had overstepped like he had the last time. It wasn't the way he had made love to her that had scared him; she had been just as desperate for affirmation that they had escaped what could have been a dangerous situation. It was his loss of control with her… opening himself up that way and acting on his emotions when he wasn't sure what they were to each other.

He had been on overload since that day and he knew it. He couldn't sleep when they stopped, his nerves were on edge, the weight of their safety was a constant pressure and there was no release valve. He was hyper-aware of everything going on around them and hadn't been able to breathe easy since that cop had noticed them.

It had been early October. And it had been the last time they were together.


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Note: **A few lines in this part were borrowed from the episode Graduation.

**Part 14**

Michael closed and locked the door behind him, his movements quiet in the hope that he wouldn't wake Maria up. He grabbed one of the dining chairs and wedged it up under the doorknob before he was satisfied that anyone trying to get in that way would make plenty of noise. He thought about Maggie as he shrugged out of the coat, shaking the snow off it and then hanging it up on one of the hooks behind the door. He shoved the gloves in the pockets before rubbing his hands together. He glanced at the bed and frowned when he realized Maria wasn't there.

His gaze moved to the open bathroom doorway and he walked over to the right side of the bed, emptying his pockets out and setting his wallet, the van receipt and Maggie's picture on top of the books there. One corner of his mouth lifted in a half-smile as he thought about the little girl's disappointed expression when she'd realized he and Kyle had come back without the girls. Julia had patiently explained that they would make one batch of cookies and save the rest for the next day when the girls came up to the house.

He suddenly remembered the cookies Julia had wrapped and Maggie had given to him after he had put his coat on. He walked over to his coat and pulled the cookies out, carrying them over to the nightstand and sitting them with his things. He smiled as he thought about the little girl's expression as she had handed them to him. Maggie was the baby in the family and she was well-loved, but it was obvious that Julia and Edward were the parents. Little Maggie Stevens didn't rule the house with a pout or with tears. He could appreciate their ability to balance discipline and love and it was apparent their children benefitted from that.

The sound of water sloshing caught his attention and he wandered over to lean against the doorframe between the bathroom and the main room of the cabin. He crossed his arms over his chest as his eyes traveled over what little he could see of Maria's profile. She was reclining in the water as she read a book and he couldn't miss the color in her cheeks from the warm water. He tilted his head, trying to make out the title of the paperback. "What're you readin'?"

Maria tipped her head back to look up at him and she angled the book to make the title visible to him. "_The Fugitive_."

He snorted quietly as he shook his head. "Appropriate." He stood there for a moment, hands shoved deep in his pockets as he glanced around the room. It wasn't until his second visual pass of the room that he noticed it. "So, you like the tub?" She had never gotten into his, he thought as he braced one hand on the opposite side of the doorframe.

"It's not creepy like yours." She glanced up at him when she heard a familiar sound and her gaze dropped to his hand. "Oh, c'mon, Michael, stop with the scratching noises."

"What?" He glanced at his hand and frowned. "I'm not doin' anything, Maria."

"Yeah, right. I'm not fallin' for that."

He stepped away from the doorway and held his hands up. "Now do you believe me?"

"Shhh, be quiet for a minute."

Silence.

She smiled knowingly at him before turning her attention back to her book.

Michael shook his head at her and started moving her things around on the sink, looking for his toothbrush.

_Scratch, scratch, scratch_

Maria looked up, watching him for a few moments before realizing that it wasn't him. "Michael."

"It's probably a mouse," he mumbled around his toothbrush. Now, where was the toothpaste?

She dropped the book on the floor to grip the sides of the bathtub. "Did you see a mouse?"

_Scratch, scratch, scratch_

Her eyes darted around the room searching for the thing. "There it is again… it sounds like it's comin' from under the tub!"

Michael just shook his head. "Cabinet under the sink."

_Scratch, scratch, scratch_

She heard the sound again and bolted up out of the water. "Michael!"

He jerked around in response to her panicked tone and he caught sight of her standing there, naked and flushed from the heat as droplets of water trailed along flesh no other man had ever touched. His lips parted, his breath stuttering in and out as arousal slammed into him. His fingers curled until he could feel his nails biting into his palms and he inhaled slowly in an effort to bring himself under control. _It was probably the most normal setting they had been in since before the Billy thing,_ he realized. He grabbed the soft turquoise towel off of the side of the sink and shook it out. "It's not under the tub," he said as he held it open for her. "I'm sure of it."

She wrapped the towel around herself as she peered over the edge of the bathtub. "Then where is it?"

Michael turned and opened the cabinet door under the sink, catching the little critter as it attempted to skitter past him. He held the little white-footed mouse up by its tail, studying the twitching whiskers and the beady black eyes staring back at him. "Here it is." He could feel the tremors in the little creature's body, empathizing with its fear at being captured. It was just looking for food and warmth, nothing more. "He's not botherin' anybody," he said with a shrug. He leaned over and put the mouse back under the sink before closing the cabinet door and walking out of the room.

Maria shook her head. _Great, now she was going to have to share space with a rodent._

Michael dropped down in one of the overstuffed chairs in the living area, rubbing his eyes tiredly as he reached for the remote for the little 15-inch television in the corner. He surfed for all of ten seconds, rounding the available channels twice before landing on the game. He turned the chair slightly and shifted around until he could prop his feet up on the matching chair, propping his elbow on the armrest and staring at the game.

She finished up in the bathroom and dressed in one of his tee shirts before going out into the living area where he had settled in front of the television. There was a time when she would've just curled up in his lap without a second thought but now she found herself hesitating. For the first time in half a year they were alone, sharing a warm cozy little cabin and she suddenly realized just how awkward she felt with him.

Without the constant pressure of running, looking over their shoulders, without the constant presence of the others just an arms-length away, there was nothing to preoccupy her thoughts. Nothing but Michael and what their relationship was… _if_ it was. They had been together since graduation but he was holding a big part of himself back. He had forgiven her for what she had put him through before that but she wasn't sure he trusted her anymore.

In the bathroom she had been naked and his response had been to hand her a towel. _After he had averted his gaze,_ she realized. He _had_ looked away. That was just one more piece of evidence that things weren't right between them. Michael was a guy, and not the kind who passed the buffet without filling his plate. _Ungh, great analogy, Maria_. She shook her head at her thoughts. "I think I'm gonna go to bed," she said after several minutes.

Michael nodded and motioned to the fireplace without looking away from the television. "I'm gonna wait for the fire to die down."

"Right, well…" She fidgeted in place for a moment before leaning over the chair to give him a kiss. "G'night then."

"Night."

She climbed into bed and curled up under the blankets, missing him so much it was almost a physical ache. He was barely a dozen feet away and it might as well have been a thousand miles. She rolled over, trying to find a comfortable spot and her gaze landed on a small wrapped package on his side of the bed and she stretched her arm out, reaching for it. She brought it closer and as she breathed in deeply she could smell the sweet aroma.

_Christmas cookies, _she thought with a smile. The silence in the cabin was heavy and she latched onto the first thing that came to mind to end it. "I forgot we were supposed to go back to the house to make cookies with Maggie," she said as she put the little package back.

The ensuing silence was broken only by the sports announcer's voice and after several minutes she lay back down, accepting that he wasn't going to say anything. She was staring up at the ceiling with tears of frustration in her eyes when she heard him speak quietly, his voice low and gruff.

"She missed you…"

Her heart clenched in her chest. She wasn't dense, she knew he was talking about himself and using Maggie to tell her what he was feeling. Her gaze lifted to the nightstand when she heard the soft metallic rasp as the chain on Michael's wallet slithered down to settle against the surface. The sound combined with her loneliness and the ache of missing him, both physically and emotionally threw her back to a roadside park on a sunny day in October.

_She had been irritated with him for manhandling her, angry that once again her status as the only human in the group was making him question her ability to take care of herself. Was he yelling at Isabel or Liz? No, he had singled her out. She could hear his wallet chain slapping against his thigh in tandem with his harsh breathing as he stalked across the park, pulling her along behind him like a wayward child. It had pissed her off even more._

_He had stopped without a word, turning and crowding her until she could feel the bark of the tree at her back digging into her skin. Heat rolled off of him and his eyes blazed furiously as he screamed in her face. It wasn't until she focused on his reddened face and the glistening in his eyes that certain words began to filter past the anger._

_**You assume because I'm not one of you that I don't understand…**__ The words had been on the tip of her tongue, ready to argue with him, to fling her own thoughts in his face but what he was saying suddenly sank in as she saw the fear mixed in with the anger in his eyes. Her temper had faded in response to the fierce look on his face. For just a moment she had been standing at the window in her bedroom in the home she had grown up in, staring out at the boy who had come to her on a rainy night. He had been in pain that night, but this time it was pain born of fear… fear for her._

_She had reached up, her fingers brushing his face as she used her thumb to wipe away the tear that was threatening to spill over. She hadn't seen him move but she felt his lips crush against hers hotly, forcing the air from her lungs as he pressed her into the tree. She had ripped at his shirt in search of skin, desperately needing to touch him._

_She had come up gasping for air as he jerked his arms behind his back, fighting his way free of his jacket. His mouth was on hers again, his spicy tasting tongue slipping past her lips to duel with hers. His arms came around her after he threw his jacket on the ground and she was barely aware of him pulling her away from the tree as she threaded her fingers through his long hair. Her free arm had come around him when he pulled her up against his hips and she drew air into her oxygen-starved lungs._

_She had thrown her head back, releasing a low moan when his lips had brushed along her neck to suck on the flesh at her throat. His hips had pushed into her before he lowered her to the denim-covered spot on the ground, heard him say her name hoarsely as he battled with his belt and zipper. With his other hand he had shoved the skirt of her sundress up, raging desire removing any possibility for finesse._

_His eyes that were dark with hunger, want and need were tearing freely, his face was red with exertion and every breath was being torn from his lungs. The need in his eyes was so striking it wounded her heart. She had whispered his name, clinging to his shoulders and reaching up to pull him closer as his lips claimed hers once more in a kiss that for all its roughness was tempered with love. The tears leaking from his eyes had slid down over his cheeks to mingle with his kisses, giving them a salty taste and making them sting._

_For just a moment she had felt their connection open up and she was privy to his thoughts… or at least a single memory before he pulled back slightly. She swallowed hard as she saw herself looking at him saying words that she wished she could take back. __**"We're no longer linked."**__ She could feel him trying to pull back emotionally, knew he felt out of control in that capacity, and it hurt that he wanted to shut her out. Her fingers had threaded through his, hoping that it would prevent him from fully pulling away from her. He guarded his emotions, his heart, so closely and she knew it was her fault that he felt he needed to protect himself from her now._

_Later, after she had collapsed into his arms he had held her for a few brief bittersweet minutes. As she lay there in the safe cocoon of his embrace she became aware of the sweet scent of the grass and her gaze drifted over the leaves that had drifted down from the trees overhead. The cry of a bird came from overhead, a lonely sound that tugged at her heart as he gently set her aside and got up._

_He had issued a terse, "Stay here", and then walked away, leaving her feeling stunned, like she'd just been hit by a storm and tossed around by it until it became a gentle rain. That storm had suddenly come back full force with the realization that they had just made love without using protection. She started frantically doing the math in her head. She had been PMSing all day, which had only heightened her reaction to him with the argument and with what they had just done. She shelved that worry when she heard footsteps approaching, the sound accompanied by the quiet metallic rasp of his wallet chain. _

_When he had returned he had taken care of her, his hands gentle and caring as he had uttered an apology. Her eyes fell to the grass as she slowly shook her head. She didn't want him to be sorry. She didn't want him to feel like that, not where this was concerned._

_He had pulled a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved shirt out of the bag before taking her hand and helping her up. "Kinda cool for a dress," he had muttered as he held the clothes out to her. It wasn't until that moment that she had noticed that in spite of the sun shining brightly the air was cool._

_It was later when she and Michael had been sitting at the back of the van, still slightly shocked over the intensity of that moment that she had realized that she couldn't recall what the cop had even looked like. She could remember pushing the door of the station open, trying to balance everything, and nearly walking right into the cop. Mirrored sunglasses, a badge that caught the sunlight and drew attention to it, a holstered gun on his right hip… she had no other recall of the man that had unknowingly triggered fear in them._

She sighed as she shifted slightly, still trying to find a comfortable spot. The bed itself was heaven but without Michael to share it with she might as well have been sleeping on the floor.

Michael stared at the television but his mind wasn't on the game. His thoughts were on the woman behind him, his body achingly aware of every sound she made. Things had never been cleared up between them and even now he was still uneasy about her decision to leave with him. She had literally been under the gun when she had made her decision and it still bothered him.

He could still remember that night with perfect clarity. Graduation night, the desert air was cool as they met to determine their next course of action. She had stated that she was going with them and he had insisted she think about what she was saying, worried about what could happen to her if she went, worried about what could happen to her if she stayed. Worried that she would regret it later. She had lifted her chin as she walked over to him.

"_I have, and… this is my choice. This is what I want. And… whatever that is in the end, that's what it'll be… but… we're doing it together."_

They were exhausted from the months of running and their lives were miserable. He wanted to offer her so much more than this crazed existence. Her choice of words still bothered him though.

"_Whatever that is in the end…"_

That uncertainty combined with the grim reality of their situation kept him from making any assumptions where she or their relationship was concerned. It wasn't the only thing holding him back though. He wasn't ready to just lay his heart out there for her again. She had walked away from him before and then turned around and slept with him only to tell him later that it had meant nothing. He had tried not to let it show but that had hurt.

The sound of plastic cracking drew his attention to the remote in his crushing grip. "Shit," he muttered under his breath. There was a crack running across the surface of the remote, dividing the numbers on the keypad. _He'd have to have Max fix that,_ he thought as he set it on the table where he'd found it.

His mind once more turned to Maria and he sighed as he stood up and turned the television off. She had to take the first step. Until he knew what she really wanted he wasn't going to be able to fully risk his heart again by laying it out there completely.

Maria's eyes opened to darkness when the mattress dipped and she felt Michael slip into bed beside her. She could almost hear him holding his breath as he waited to see if he had woke her up. She felt him shift, trying to get comfortable and becoming stationary after a few moments. She could feel the distance between them acutely and she squeezed her eyes shut against the ache of loneliness.

Michael frowned at the ceiling. His feet were hanging off the end of the too-short bed and he could feel the already cooling air creeping under the edge of the covers. He rolled over and bent his knees, tucking them in behind Maria's and draping his arm over her waist. It took less than a heartbeat for her to scoot back and as her arm settled over his she linked their fingers and he heard her sigh. Content, relieved, he didn't know. The one thing he knew for certain was that he loved her. He was just too much of a realist to think it was the only thing that mattered.


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Note: **Some lines in this part were borrowed from the following episodes: The Harvest, Heart of Mine, It's Too Late & It's Too Bad, and The Departure.

**Part 15**

Kyle leaned back against the door once he was finally inside, feeling along the wall for the light switch and not finding it. He cursed under his breath and shook his head as he tried to recall which side of the room the bachelor's suite was located on. He snorted quietly and took several steps to the right, cracking his shin against something and dropping the trash bag of linens as he hopped around on one foot.

Unfortunately, the snow he had tracked in didn't provide solid traction and when his foot came down on one of the little patches he took a nosedive. The only thing that kept him from a broken nose was the bag of linens. He lay there for a minute, breathing hard and wondering if he should just give it up and sleep on the floor. _It might be safer,_ he thought caustically.

He loved Isabel, he did. She was a great friend and they had become each other's confidants, but he could really do without things like this. After several minutes of contemplating his options he decided that the floor was cold so he collected his bag, got to his feet and carefully located the wall, following it around to the opening where his bed awaited. If she had been rearranging the furniture it meant she was trying to keep her mind off of something she didn't want to deal with.

He ran his hand over the wall just inside the door and frowned when he didn't find a wall switch. "What is with these people and light switches?" he muttered under his breath. He took a couple of steps forward and walked into something. _This place is a friggin' obstacle course._ He had glanced into the room earlier… twin bed and… well, okay, the room had been dark then too and he hadn't really done much of a survey. Just verified that he at least had a place to sleep.

He backed up to the doorway and crept along the wall, finally locating a nightstand and blindly feeling his way to… he swallowed hard. It was something furry. Short, coarse hair over a stiff body… claws, he realized when he moved his hand higher up and felt them brush his thumb. The thing hadn't moved and he couldn't hear it breathing… what if it was some oversized rat? _Stuffed toy,_ he decided. It had to be.

_It has claws,_ his brain reminded him.

_It hasn't moved,_ he argued silently.

_Maybe it's a possum… they can play dead, right? They have claws. We're out in the boonies, who knows what could've gotten inside?_

He shook his head at his thoughts. He was standing in a strange room having an internal debate with himself over whether or not he had a rabid animal in hand. "This's stupid. If it was alive it would've bit you by now," he muttered, feeling better at the rational verbalization. He shook his head and was pulling his hand back when something brushed against it. He turned his hand over and grabbed it, immediately realizing it was a string. He tugged on it and the little room was filled with light.

He took a step back and made a face at the lamp. It was made in the shape of a tree trunk with some sort of animal attached to it. He reached out and poked the thing, wondering what it was. Beaver? Woodchuck? Squirrel? Prairie dog? Whatever it was it was disgusting. He shook his head and turned to toss the bag on the bed and nearly smacked right into the upper bunk. He took a step back and stared at his accommodations for the duration of their stay. "Bunk beds," he muttered. "Of course, no wonder you got such a sympathetic look from Edward. I suppose this'll be one time when I can be grateful for bein' vertically challenged."

He hung his coat on the post at the end of the bed and placed the bag on the bottom bunk, shaking his head as he opened it, digging around until he felt the sheets. He stared at the cowboy Mickey Mouse print balefully for several seconds before he shook them out and started to make the top bunk. "18 years old, single and sleeping in a bunk bed on Mickey Mouse sheets," he huffed. "Valenti, you're never gonna get laid."

Kyle pulled the matching comforter out and just shook his head before tossing it on the top bunk and straightening it out. This was just perfect. He stared at the single pillowcase complete with Mickey and his lasso looped around to spell out _Howdy!_ He knew when Julia had supplied them with linens earlier there had been two pillows… and he was certain Isabel was probably curled up with both of them. He threw it on the top bunk and turned to leave his room.

There was just enough light spilling out of the smaller bedroom to keep him from tripping over anything else as he made his way through the living room in search of the bag with his belongings. He finally found it at one end of the loveseat and about the same time located a lamp that he turned on before carrying his bag into his room. He pulled his things out, choosing to just use the top drawer of the child-sized dresser for socks, boxers and undershirts. Jeans and shirts went on top in two neat stacks along with the few personal hygiene items he owned. Deodorant, toothbrush and toothpaste, razor and shaving cream, a couple bars of hotel soap, and two little bottles of shampoo he had taken from the last hotel they had stayed in.

He stared at the small bag sitting on the top bunk and he hesitated before carefully unrolling it to look down at the items there. They hadn't know what was coming before graduation so they had agreed to each pack a small bag with clothing and essentials that they would keep readily accessible. A small 3x5 framed photograph of him and his dad taken during the Statewide Junior Rifle Competition. The glass was broken, cracked in two places from the time he had accidentally dropped one corner of the toolbox in the van on top of his bag. He smiled faintly as he picked up his book on meditation but it quickly faded when he saw the edge of another photograph sticking out from between the pages of the book.

He kicked his boots off and hauled himself up onto the top bunk and tried to get comfortable before he settled on his side and flipped the book open to stare down at the photograph. Prom night. _The beginning of the end,_ he thought cynically. Part of him wanted to cut her out of the picture but it wouldn't erase the memories. There was no way to cut her out of the place in his heart that still hadn't completely let go of her.

He pressed the picture to his chest as he laid back and stared up at the ceiling, making a mental note to not sit up too quickly. _That's all he needed was a concussion,_ he thought. His eyes closed and he reached up to rub them as his mind drifted back to Christmas two years ago. Before her true nature had been revealed, before she had taken Alex from them… before he had decided she felt like his sister. His features screwed up in a grimace. He still didn't know where that had come from. Things hadn't felt like that prior to that little revelation; it had come out of left field and it still confused him because he knew before that his thoughts had been decidedly _un_-brotherly.

He shook his head, not wanting to dwell on those thoughts. His mind wandered, bringing his living room at home into focus. He could easily see him and Dad watching the game and he laughed quietly as he remembered Dad trying to get his Buddha on. There had been a crazy conversation about chairs and Tess going on a rant about cooking for 24 hours while they watched football. He chuckled as he remembered the way Dad had freaked out and acted like a crazy man when Amy had arrived at their front door. Tess had made his favorite augraton potatoes with bacon on the bottom. It had felt like a real Christmas for the first time since before his mom had left them.

His stomach twisted in the familiar knots that always accompanied thoughts of Tess. He hated what she had done, betraying them and killing Alex… making him carry his own friend's body out to his car. His eyes squeezed shut at that memory, wishing he could block it out. _How was it possible for her to be the same person who had made him like Christmas again?_ She had been so warm, so caring, and she had seemed to be settling in and letting go of the whole Max-and-I-are-destined-to-be-together thing. Not even six months later she had done a one-eighty on them and things had just gone downhill from that point on.

Kyle stared at the picture for a moment before shoving it back between the pages of the book and putting it and the framed photograph in the bag and wrapping it up. He wished it were as simple as hating her for every bad thing she had done but it wasn't that easy. He felt restless now and he swung his legs over the side and dropped down to the floor, taking the bag and shoving it in the dresser drawer under his socks.

He turned the light off and wandered out into the living area, glancing into the kitchen and deciding to make a pot of coffee. _It was ridiculous,_ he thought. He finally had room to move around freely, a room of his own, and he felt lonely, like something was missing.

While he was waiting for the coffee he turned the television on and ran through the channels, frowning when he landed back on the first channel after just seconds. He left it on the weather channel and went back to pull a mug down, sitting it on the counter and wondering if there was any sugar. He checked the cabinets and reached for what he assumed was a pantry, not expecting it when a blur of red flew at him. His arm shot up and he batted the thing away, taking a step towards it when it landed on the floor and slid to finally settle in the corner.

A smile crossed his face when he saw what it was. He had a feeling Isabel had stashed the thing in the closet. She hated clowns. He smirked as he picked it up, shaking it off and holding it up to look at it. He glanced over at his room, thinking about bunk beds, Mickey Mouse sheets, no pillow, rearranged furniture and the sizable bruise on his shin. "Me an' you, we might just have some fun with Isabel," he said as he put it back into what turned out to be a broom closet.

He filled the mug with coffee and made a face at the bitter taste as he walked back into the living area. Just before sitting down he remembered the cookies Julia had given him and he detoured to his room to dig them out of his coat pocket. He settled down on the loveseat and propped his feet up on the coffee table, sighing in aggravation when the leaf reacted by drooping slightly. He frowned and shifted to the side so that his feet were in the middle of the table.

As he watched the weather report and took in just how much snow they were predicting he wondered if they would even get a chance to get out and check on the van the next day. He got up adjust the heat and went to grab his blanket when he realized the room felt cool. He was staring sightlessly at the television and listening to the weather report once again when movement caught his attention and he raised his head to see Isabel watching him blearily.

"Not one word about Mickey," he warned.

She shrugged and joined him on the loveseat, grateful for his company. She curled up on the opposite side and rested her head on the arm. After a moment he wordlessly reached out, offering her a corner of the blanket. Isabel smiled and pulled the cover over herself, wiggling around to get comfortable. Her feet landed in his lap and without a second thought he shifted to accommodate her, finally feeling like things were right.

They watched the weather in companionable silence until they drifted off to sleep, curled up in positions that should have been completely uncomfortable but weren't.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was the absolute silence that pulled Max from a dreamless sleep. Since leaving Roswell he had grown accustomed to the sounds the van made as they drove over the pitted back roads, the sound of Kyle's snoring or arguing with Isabel over which of them was taking up the most room on the bench seat they usually shared, even the sound of Michael and Maria bickering over everything and nothing. He no longer knew what it was like to sleep through a night without one or more of those noises creating a chaotic lullaby.

The noise was often a source of contention, but it was an aggravation that over time they had learned to deal with. But it had become something more for him. It had become a shield against thoughts and memories he didn't want to face. It provided a solace of sorts, allowing him to avoid dealing with the barrage of mistakes he had made over the past couple of years. He came up on one elbow to look down at Liz, sleeping soundlessly but not peacefully. Her forehead was furrowed, pulling her eyebrows down into a deep frown.

He reached over to gently run his thumb over the frown lines, wishing that he could ease the thoughts that created them night after night. He might be able to help if he at least knew what had put them there. There were too many possibilities for him to even hope to narrow it down though and he sighed when she shifted over onto her side, facing away from him.

How many times had he nearly lost her? How many times had he selfishly followed his own path without seeing the damage he was creating? _Liar!_ His conscience screamed at him. _You knew what you were doing! You can lie to everyone else but you know the truth._ He reached up to rub his temples, trying to push the memories as far away as possible. He could fight them back most of the time, but he was surrounded by silence, preventing him from blocking out the thoughts. There was nothing to occupy his mind and voices from the past were battering at his conscience, pushing to get out.

He eased out of bed and pulled his jeans on, hurrying to the bathroom and closing the door to lean back against it. He drew in deep lungfuls of air, trying to focus on the sound of his own breathing but it wasn't loud enough to provide the needed barrier. He could still remember her practically begging him to let her go, to put an end to the pain he was responsible for. He leaned forward and braced his hands on his knees as the squeezed his eyes shut against the memory of prom night. She had told him she had seen him with Tess and he had quickly jumped in to explain himself, telling her that it had simply been more exploration into who he was and where he came from.

"_I know, I know, you know, you keep saying that, but you um, keep on leaving out this really pertinent fact. That you were married to her. I feel like my whole life for the past year has been waiting for some really bad news. Oh, you know, by the way Liz, I remember Tess, and I love her. It's really paralyzing."_

"_I know it's not easy."_

He shook his head. He had selfishly expected her to be there, waiting for him when he finished messing around with Tess. She had suggested at that point that they let go, she had admitted that she was hurting, and he hadn't been able to speak beyond saying her name.

They had been hit with Alex's death soon after and he had blown it with her. Her investigation into what was believed to be a suicide had the potential of drawing the wrong kind of attention to them and he had lost it. He shook his head at the memory of what he had done to his sister, the way he had ruthlessly crushed her when she had just wanted to get away after Alex's death. Hot on the heels of that fight he had come upon Liz, packed bags at her feet as she sat on a fence.

He had pulled over and gotten into a huge fight with her over that, demanding she get in the jeep, ordering her around like she was one of his subjects instead of the girl he loved. He had refused to listen to her theories where Alex's death was concerned but he had expected her to fall in line and simply obey him because he had ordered her to do so. He had reacted by throwing the responsibility for everyone's safety on her shoulders, accusing her of putting them at risk and when she had insisted that her responsibility included Alex he had said something that haunted him to this day.

"_Liz, if you go, our friendship is over."_

"_I guess that's the price I have to pay."_

He shook his head against that memory, still unable to believe that he had said that to her. For the longest time he had blamed so many of his choices on her sleeping with Kyle, using it as an excuse to pursue things with Tess. How could he have been so stupid? Why had he allowed things to get to that point? Why had he not fought harder for her? He could remember their conversation on the street in Copper Summit. He had demanded the truth from her, insisting that she owed him an explanation and then accusing her of hiding something from him. Her response had silenced him.

"_You know, you have got me up on this pedestal, Max, and… I'm not this perfect person. I made a mistake. Look, Kyle and I made love. The end. I'm sorry._

He had done nothing but walk away. He hated himself for not pushing harder. At every other turn he had pushed mindlessly ahead, paying no attention to who he was hurting. But when it had come to this he had faltered, he hadn't given it his all and he had used her and the situation as a scapegoat. It was on the drive back from Las Cruces when he had pulled over and spilled the truth about Tess, getting her pregnant, and their impending departure that it had come out. That entire conversation still haunted him.

"_You can't just leave us with a killer out there."_

"_I don't have a choice!"_

He'd had a choice, even then. His son had been a factor, of course, but he had chosen Tess and been willing to leave the woman he loved without protection, knowing there was a killer on the loose. A killer who had already taken one of them. He felt the guilt eating at his soul, chewing further into it at everything that could have happened after leaving them there alone and defenseless. She hadn't held back, throwing the obvious accusation in his face.

"_Not anymore, but you did and then you got Tess pregnant!"_

"_I know you're upset."_

Even now he cringed at his own words to her. _How thoughtless and condescending could one person be?_ She had shaken her head at him and started to yell.

"_I – I trusted you, I gave you everything. I jumped off bridges for you, I broke laws for you, I risked getting shot for you, I trusted you! And you go off – God, with Tess – God, I saved myself for you!"_

"_Saved yourself? You slept with Kyle!"_

"_Take me home."_

Later, sitting outside the Crashdown after giving her the pendant that he was still surprised she hadn't flung into his face he had looked at her and asked a question that he already knew the answer to.

"_Liz, you never slept with Kyle, did you?"_

_She hadn't spoken, but she had shaken her head, confirming what he had known._

In the granolith chamber he had been shocked by Michael's decision to stay. Deep down he had been jealous of his willingness to follow his heart and stay for the girl he loved. He had been relieved when Isabel had said she was going and looking back at it now he knew it was only because Alex had been taken from her just as she had really started to accept her feelings for him. After everything he had threatened her with he hadn't deserved her decision to accompany him regardless of the reason.

His heart and mind had been at war as Tess had opened her mouth to divert their attention to how little time they had. He had watched Michael walk away, wondering how he had become the stronger one and resenting Tess for coming in and ruining everything. _That's right, Evans, keep placing the blame everywhere but on your own shoulders,_ his mind taunted. If it weren't for Michael turning back and Liz's dogged determination to prove Alex hadn't committed suicide the truth would never have come out.

His heart had stopped in his chest when she had suddenly appeared in the chamber and he had found it so easy to believe her when she accused Tess of murdering Alex. He hadn't wanted to go, had been scared of what awaited them on that other planet, and when Liz had hurled the accusation and Kyle had backed her up there had only been proof in the form of his recall of being mindwarped. It hadn't been solid proof but he had jumped on it, grabbing onto what felt like a lifeline as he turned on Tess.

He had screamed at her, had even felt the desire to wipe out her existence as she discounted his feelings for Liz and revealed her true intentions. He had been relieved to not have to go, relieved to blame Tess and not have to face the truth about what a coward he was and he had directed every bit of anger and self-loathing he felt into his voice as he had stalked her around the chamber, getting in her face and letting his failures fuel his temper. He had let her go for his son's sake, let her go so he wouldn't have to deal with her, and he had gone to Liz.

_She shouldn't have allowed you back into her life so easily._ If she thought she had broken laws for him before… He rubbed the bridge of his nose as he remembered their senior year. She had gone along with him in his quest to find his son and gotten into more trouble in a matter of months than she'd gotten into in her whole life. He had enjoyed the freedom of suddenly rebelling against everyone and everything. Neither of them had wanted to face the fallout from his time with Tess or her pretending to sleep with Kyle and it had given them an outlet for all of their anger, hurt, betrayal and frustration with the situation.

After everything he had put her through he didn't deserve her. She had given up everything for him: Her safety, her reputation, her family, her home and her dreams. _She had a promising future ahead of her before you came in and took it all away._ He looked down at his hand as he thought back to the day he had healed her and set into motion a chain of events that had changed the course of all of their lives. _You saved her life and destroyed it all in one day. Of course she came with you. What were her other options? Stay and be captured by your enemies? Be put in a white room and tortured?_

He stumbled to the sink and braced his hands on the counter, avoiding his own gaze as he waited for his pounding heart to calm down. He finally turned and walked into the living room, turning the television on and turning the volume up just enough to fill the cabin with background noise. He sighed in relief when the voices began to slip back into their hiding places and he nudged the volume up a bit more so that it would carry over into the bedroom.

He reached out to place the remote back on the coffee table and the light from the television caught his wedding band. He brought his hand up and rubbed it, feeling that knot of tension begin to ease as he remembered the look on her face when she had spoken her vows at the simple wedding ceremony.

That day he had sworn to himself that he would do everything in his power to be the man she needed him to be and to do whatever it took to erase his mistakes. He would make up for every single one of them even if it took his entire life to do it. He took every opportunity to do that but somehow he felt that he had fallen short on that promise. He looked around him, taking in the cabin and thinking about the seclusion it offered from the outside world.

Maybe this was the place that would really give him the chance to make up for some of what he had put her through. His thumb brushed over the band and he smiled as he turned to look at Liz. _His wife._ He was breathing a little easier as he slid back into bed beside her and wrapped his arms around her. He could fix this, he was sure of it.


	16. Chapter 16

**Author's Note: **A few lines in this part were borrowed from the Roswell episode "Baby it's You".

**Part 16**

Morning light filtered in through the cabin windows as Michael stared up at the ceiling, lost in thought. His mind was racing from one topic to the next as he considered their situation, wondered about his and Maria's relationship, weighed their options if things went south for any reason, and even pondered Kyle's words to him the night before. He didn't know how to turn off that hyper-vigilance and he wouldn't even if he could. Their safety, their lives, depended on his ability to protect them. They looked to him to make decisions and that responsibility weighed heavily on him. It probably wouldn't hurt to tone it down a notch or two but he wasn't sure he even knew how to do that anymore.

_Maybe the sleep he'd gotten would help,_ he thought. _How long had it been since they had slept through the night? Since they had been alone together in a warm bed?_ He glanced down at Maria when she moved closer and buried her face in the crook of his neck, snuffling sleepily against his skin. He shifted his hip away from her when she stretched lazily, bringing her dangerously close to finding out just how awake he was. He held her for a few minutes, taking advantage of the opportunity to be close to her. When she moved, her hand tracing random patterns on his abdomen he decided it was time to get out of bed.

He didn't realize how cool it was until he threw the covers back and gooseflesh erupted on his skin. Maria glared at him blearily as she made a grab for the blankets, pulling them tight around her and blocking the draft. He hissed audibly when his bare feet landed on the floor for an icy introduction.

Maria sat up, wrapped up in the blankets with just her head sticking out. "Michael, come back to bed," she said as she shivered. "I'm cold."

He ignored the temptation to crawl back into bed with her and forced himself to cross over to the fireplace. "It's almost nine and Julia wanted us back at the house between nine an' ten for breakfast." He put wood in the fireplace and stretched his hand out, nodding in satisfaction when flames began to dance over the logs. He turned to look at Maria. "I'm gonna grab a shower."

Maria fell back against the pillows and just waited for it. She watched him walk into the bathroom and held her breath for the handful of seconds it took for him to discover that he wouldn't be showering. She was mentally counting down to one when she heard it.

_The mother of all bad words._

His voice was low but she heard it all the same and she couldn't stop the giggle that escaped. "Aww, Michael said a bad, bad word," she teased. "If 'damn' gets you dishwashing duty, what d'you suppose you get for that one?"

Michael just gave her the look as he stepped out of the bathroom. "We need to go down to Max and Liz's cabin for a meetin' anyway. So get ready an' I'll just take my shower there."

"Michael, you can't just go over there and expect to take a shower! That's their space while we're here. You wouldn't like it if one of them came over and – "

"So, you'd rather I just not shower?"

"Well, no, that's not what I said."

"Then I'd suggest you get ready to go."

Maria made a face as she got up. "You do know you can be insufferable when you want to be, right?" She rolled her eyes when he just looked at her. "When did we decide we were having a meeting?"

"We're leavin' in ten minutes," he said as he sat down and started lacing his boots up.

She let it go and grabbed her clothes, running across the cold floor and barricading herself in the bathroom to get ready. When she emerged nine minutes later she propped her hands on her hips and looked at him. "What is that look for?"

"I told you ten minutes," he said, his eyes tracing over her. She had dressed in jeans and a shirt, brushed her teeth, pulled her hair into a ponytail and forgotten her makeup.

"So? I'm ready."

"Fine, you'd better bring your makeup with you 'cause we're not comin' back here for a while."

She shook her head at him as she tried to decide if he was being deliberately obtuse and finally came to the conclusion that he was as clueless as he appeared. "I haven't physically put makeup on in six months, Michael."

"What?" Damn, he looked at her every day. He was pretty sure he'd remember her _not_ wearing makeup.

"One of the perks of being on the run with aliens."

"Whatever." He rolled his eyes. "Can we go now?"

She shrugged. "Just waiting on you." She smirked when he growled and grabbed their coats before putting the fire out and rushing her out the door.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Maria's gaze bounced between Kyle and Isabel as they plowed through what had to be at least a foot of fresh snow. She was certain she and Michael had interrupted something because Kyle looked absolutely gleeful while Isabel looked like she was on the verge of killing him.

"I don't suppose you could reverse it?" Michael asked, drawing Isabel's wrathful gaze.

"What?" she snapped.

"The snow… don't guess you could reverse it?"

For a moment she just stared at him and then she remembered standing in the center of the park back home in Roswell, making it snow and trying to calm her brother down. Michael had ridden up on his bike and motioned to the snow falling around them.

"_A little public, isn't it?"_

"_It's a freak storm, you know, who cares?"_

A faint smile let him know she had caught the reference and he nodded in response. "So… Valenti drivin' you nuts?"

Kyle just grinned unrepentantly as he turned to walk backwards, not really considering how difficult that would be. "Do you know just how freaked out Isabel gets over clowns?"

_Well, that explained Isabel's mood,_ Michael thought. _She'd had a weird fear of clowns since they were kids._ He didn't like clowns but he wasn't afraid of them. There was just something wrong with the way they hid behind the painted-on masks, the heavy grease makeup creating grotesque faces that hid the truth.

"You have a clown in your cabin?" Maria asked.

"Yeah, he's short and he's not as funny as he thinks he is."

Kyle stuck his tongue out at Isabel. "She hid it in the broom closet in the kitchen."

"He had it propped up in the cabinet over the coffee pot this morning so when I went to grab a cup the damn thing jumped out at me." She glared at him when he laughed and when he suddenly tripped over a snowdrift she reached out to shove him, pushing him back into the snow.

"Hey, this stuff's cold, ya know!" he sputtered as he struggled to get back up on his feet.

"Suck it up, Kyle." Isabel shook her head at him and kept walking. "Why don't you tell them about your Mickey Mouse sheets," she tossed over her shoulder.

Maria turned her head to look at Kyle, trying hard not to laugh. "You slept on cartoon sheets?"

"Well, apparently Julia only has sheets with cartoon characters on them for the twin bed… and since the wife was in a mood last night, I had to take what I could get." His joking tone ended in a coughing fit when 'the wife' suddenly stopped in her tracks and turned to face him.

"_That's_ what you told her?" Her icy gaze shot to Michael. "Is that what he told her?"

"I'm not getting in the middle of your marital dispute." He walked around her. "C'mon, we've got a meetin' to get to."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Max opened his eyes, glancing around the room as he tried to identify the muted voices he could hear. For several seconds his fuzzy mind tried to understand why anyone would be so excited over a food processor before he remembered that he had gotten up and turned the television on. He turned his attention back to the woman in his arms when the feel of her skin against his woke the rest of his body up. _What would he give to be able to wake up like this every morning?_ he wondered.

He peppered her shoulder with whisper-soft kisses, nibbling his way up to her neck. He brushed her hair back and sucked on the sensitive spot between her neck and shoulder. She shifted back against him, pushing her backside into the cradle of his hips and he heard the smile in her sleep-roughened voice when she whispered a, "Good mornin' to you too, Mr. Evans."

Liz added a tantalizing wiggle that made him groan before she turned in his arms and pulled him down for a proper good morning kiss. "I could get used to waking up like this," she whispered.

He chuckled roughly in agreement. "I can – " Pounding on the door interrupted him and he growled when he heard the accompanying voices. "We can ignore them… they'll go away."

She nearly snorted at the hopeful denial in his voice. "You know better than that."

He shook his head as he leaned over the edge of the bed, snatching up his discarded jeans. He gave her one last kiss before getting up and jerking them up over his legs. He finished dressing on his way to the door, muttering under his breath the whole way. He paused a moment with his hand on the doorknob, drawing in a deep breath and turning it just as another round of pounding started.

"Hey, you got coffee made yet?" Michael asked as he barged past Max as soon as the door opened. "I'm gonna grab a shower and then we're havin' a meeting."

"Um, we were kinda…" he trailed off when Michael continued on his way and he hurried after him to stop him before he could walk in on Liz still in bed.

"What is wrong with you?" Michael demanded when Max jumped in front of him.

"You can't just walk in there! Liz was – "

"Your wife's modesty is safe, Maxwell… If I was lookin' for a cheap thrill that's not where I'd be lookin' an' she's in the kitchen anyway."

Max' mouth dropped open as he turned to see for himself that Liz was indeed in the kitchen.

Maria mouthed a silent apology at her best friend, grinning at the slight blush that crept up over Liz's cheeks. It was obvious she had dressed in a hurry and the bedroom on the other side of the open glass double doors revealed the unmade bed that had been hastily vacated.

Michael shook his head as he glanced around the bathroom. _Every damn time,_ he thought. He and Maria had the tub with no shower crammed into a small bathroom. Isabel and Kyle had an even smaller bathroom with a shower stall you could practically put your feet in while sitting on the toilet. Max and Liz had ended up with a roomy bathroom that had a tub big enough for two people _and_ a separate shower. _Where was the justice?_

He turned in a circle, eyes scanning over the rest of the room as he started the water and stripped out of his clothes. _Even the john was set apart from the rest of the room._ He dug around for a bar of soap and only came up with body wash. He eyed the name of the scent warily. _What the hell was joe-joe-bah anyway?_ He unscrewed the cap and inhaled, further annoyed at the scent that lacked a sense of masculinity. He did one more search of the cabinets before accepting that it was this or nothing.

He snorted at the wall heater before staring at the walls, trying to figure out what color they were. _Some kinda red or purple or something…_ He tipped his head to one side. _What was that crap that people always put out on Thanksgiving? They dumped it out of a can and set the jiggling, can-shaped crap on the table… cranberry sauce! Was cranberry even a color?_ He rolled his eyes and reached for one of the towels on shelf near the tub. _Big, soft, fluffy… the ones he and Maria had weren't like this._ "Wouldn't wanna chafe the king's ass," he muttered under his breath. Even in the middle of nowhere Max managed to come out on top.

"So, um, is there a problem with your shower?" Max asked as he scratched the back of his head. _He didn't want to be rude or anything but they had kinda been in the middle of something._

"Only a problem so far as there's no shower to speak of," Maria answered in an apologetic tone.

"Plus it's nearly nine and El Capitan's got a bug up his ass about us havin' a meetin' before breakfast," Kyle added as he started checking out the contents of the cabinets in the kitchen. He turned his head to look at Liz. "Where's the coffee?"

"The coffee?"

"Julia sent the basics with each of us last night." He made a face at her. "Remember?"

"Oh, right, it's in the box over by the door."

"By the door? You didn't…" he glanced between her and Max, smirking at their red faces. "Oh, right. Nevermind, 'nuff said." He went to collect the coffee and set about making a pot.

Maria wandered around the kitchen while Kyle leaned on the long green and black marble tiled countertop. The cabinets were stained a warm oak color, giving the room a homey feel. The appliances were probably as old as she was and maybe even older, but they were clean and well cared for. _This cabin seemed to have a forestry theme,_ she thought as her eyes moved over the deep green curtains that framed the window above the sink. Even the little night light, plugged into an outlet by the window was shaped like a fir tree.

The floor was a warm beige, a nice complement to the darker colors used in the room. The small rug in front of the sink was decorated with a moose and more fir trees. She paused in her perusal of the room to glance at Isabel, watching her for a moment as she moved around the living area, no doubt cataloging its imperfections. She smiled to herself at that thought. It was just a part of who Isabel was, a coping mechanism that she had developed to deal with whatever was going on.

Isabel reached for the stuffed grizzly bear propped up in the wooden rocking chair in one corner of the room, holding it as she turned to take the seat for herself. She glanced around to take in the cabin, intentionally ignoring the looks going back and forth between her brother and Liz. She studiously avoided the bed as her eyes traced over the bedside table and the imitation Tiffany lamp that resided at its center. She frowned at the door on one of the walls in the bedroom, certain that it was a closet. The room itself was beige with a deep green carpet on the floor. The windows above the nightstand were covered with lace curtains and drawn back to show the snowy landscape behind the cabin. She turned her head and caught the full-length mirror on the closed bathroom door that faced the bedroom and gave a perfect view of… _No, do not let your thoughts go there! _She shuddered comically and turned her attention back to the living area, her eyes settling on the fireplace. _Electric,_ she realized as her eyes moved over the knobs that controlled the thermostat.

"Floor might be a little bit wet," Michael said as he came back into the room.

Max just gritted his teeth together. He had no doubt the bathroom floor was wet and he also had no doubt Michael had left big wet footprints all over on purpose.

Liz sniffed the air when he walked past her, knowing he was doing his best to aggravate Max. "That's a nice floral scent you've got there, Michael." She forced a too-sweet smile on her face when he turned to glare at her.

He just barely caught himself before he shot the finger at her. The one and only time he had ever done that Maria had nearly annihilated him. He busied himself digging around in his coat pocket when he noticed Maria pouring him a cup of coffee. When she brought it to him he turned and handed her the cookies he had brought back with him the night before. He raised an eyebrow at the obnoxious happy face on the front of the mug. "Alright, let's get down to business," he said after taking a drink. "We need to get a few things straightened out before we go up to the house."

"Hey, can I have one of those?" Kyle asked as he reached around Maria.

"Let's focus on why we're here," Michael huffed impatiently as he shoved Kyle's hand away. "We need to get on the same page with this insane story before we completely give ourselves away."

Maria handed Kyle one of the cookies and he snatched it and ran back to the safety of the kitchen area. She laughed, but sobered when she caught the impatient look on Michael's face. "Sorry, important meeting." She knew how important it was that they all have the same story and not slip up and adlib somewhere, possibly tripping all of them up, but she also knew that his intensity could receive a negative response from the others under the right circumstances.

Michael nodded after a moment and cleared his throat.


	17. Chapter 17

**Part 17**

"Alright, here's what I'm thinkin'. We need to…" He trailed off when he realized Max wasn't listening. "Am I boring you?"

Max frowned at him, his mind still on Michael's announcement a couple of minutes earlier. "You need to go dry the bathroom floor."

He started at him for a moment before going right back into what he had to say. He knew how to clean up after himself but he still enjoyed getting a rise out of Max on occasion. "We've gotta handle damage control for all the lies that've already been told." He looked between Maria and Liz. "No more answerin' questions if you don't have a preapproved answer to them." He shook his head when Maria opened her mouth to protest. "That whole story about," he lifted his hands to make air quotes as he looked at Liz, "goin' to Sault Sainte Marie to visit a friend at school." He turned to Maria again, glaring at her as he once more made air quotes. "Miami?"

Maria met his gaze steadily. "Last time you changed the plates you chose Florida, genius."

"What should we have done?" Liz asked.

"That's true," Maria chimed in. "The longer we waited to answer the worse it was gonna be. You'd better be glad I was paying attention while I was busy goin' blind from starin' at maps."

"Yeah, well, speakin' of lies since that's your current topic," Max spoke up, "whose bright idea was it to tell Maggie you knew Santa?"

"She's just a little kid," Michael said dismissively. "Look, for every lie we tell, we've gotta make it true. At least to some extent. We've already got a shitload of stuff to remember; we make a slip and we're in trouble. We stick to the story that's already been started… can we all remember that? We don't need to give this guy any more reasons to be suspicious."

Liz shook her head, certain he was wrong about this. "Oh, please… have you seen Edward?"

"No, Michael's right," Isabel said, breaking her silence. "Edward's highly suspicious and regardless of what he does or doesn't suspect, we can't give him anymore ammunition than we already have."

Kyle looked at her and a quiet smile appeared as he took in her appearance as she sat in the rocking chair, cradling the stuffed grizzly bear. Her posture wasn't defensive for the first time in a long time and he found himself remembering her taking him around to the parties for New Years' Eve the year before. He shook himself out of his rambling thoughts when she looked at him and frowned.

"What?"

He shrugged. "Just wonderin'… aren't you the one who told Maggie about Snowflake havin' some pull with Santa and Candycane havin' pull with a certain reindeer wrangler?" He just grinned when Max shot daggers at him for bringing that up. "So, I guess we're gonna have to make that one true too, huh, El Capitan?"

"I have every intention of making that true," Isabel said before Michael could say differently. "It wasn't a lie."

"No, we're not," he denied. "We're gonna be long gone before that ever happens." He shook his head at her when she just looked at him. "No. There is no way I'm ever wearin' another fat elf suit."

"Michael, she's a little girl… you can't just tell her stuff like that and then not follow through."

Maria smiled knowingly. "I've seen you with children, Michael, you wouldn't do that."

He rolled his eyes and his mouth tightened in irritation. "Christmas isn't important here. Am I the only one who sees just how boxed in we are here? Boxed in without any means of escape in the event of a threat? Are you all blind?" He hurried on when Max opened his mouth to say something. "We're in danger here. We're not on vacation an' we're not on a honeymoon!"

Kyle exhaled loudly and wiped one hand over his brow. "Whew! I'm sure glad you clarified that 'cause it's certainly not livin' up to all the hype I've heard."

Isabel leveled her eyes on him when he started to laugh but instead of going off on him she turned to Michael. "And whose fault is that?"

"What?"

"You're having a fit over us being," she made air quotes just to mock him, "boxed in… whose bright idea was it for us to go north in the middle of winter?"

"Isabel," Max intervened.

"Back off, Max. Look, Michael, I agree that we need to get our story straight, but we're here for now… it's a good place and I don't think the Stevens are gonna give us up. Especially if we don't provide Edward with any more reasons than we already have for him to be suspicious of us." She desperately needed the time away from the others to regroup and she knew they all needed it too, and she honestly believed that if they could control their story they would be safe here. At least temporarily.

Maria's thoughts were moving along the same lines as she tapped her forefinger against her lip. "The borders into Mexico and Canada have agents and cameras…"

Max nodded, seeing where they were going and following along with them. "It would make sense to wait them out, keep a low profile…"

"True," Kyle mused, "and going further north in the winter would make it just as hard for the FBI to follow us."

Michael's gaze swept over the room as he internally shook his head. "Do ya think?" he muttered sarcastically. _Why the hell did they think he had gone north in the first place? Because he was really all that excited about the cold? Hello, people! Raised in the desert!_ He silenced his inner voice, his eyes darkening as he gave voice to the words that had been tumbling around in his head for a while now. "It's time to split up."

"And just where do we go?" Isabel bit out, not liking the turn this meeting was taking.

"Canada. We can't risk a border check, but there's gonna be open land where we could cross… from Minnesota maybe."

"Not to break this streak of strategic brilliance you've got goin' on, El Capitan, but even if we can get the van fixed it's not gonna be up to a trip like that."

"No," Michael agreed thoughtfully. "But we could do it on snowmobiles."

Silence fell over the room until the sound of Kyle's stomach rumbling reminded them of the time.

"Maybe we should worry about one thing at a time," Max said as he pulled Liz up against his body and wrapped his arms around her. "For now we've gotta get the van back."

_They'd have to steal to get their hands on snowmobiles._ Michael felt a wave of self-loathing wash over him at the thought. _He had managed to keep them from having to do that so far._ He looked at Maria and walked past her, grabbing his coat and shrugging into it as he pulled the front door open.

He shoved his bare hands in the coat pockets, wishing he had gone back and grabbed the gloves when they had gotten to Isabel and Kyle's cabin and he had realized he had forgotten them. He had put them down when he had gone to grab the cookies and then completely spaced picking them up again. He thought about the silence in the cabin when he had mentioned using snowmobiles to cross the border. They all knew how they would be procured if they decided to follow that path when the time came.

He dreaded becoming the lowlife stealing whatever they needed to get by. He didn't want that life for her. It wasn't a good enough life for her. He could accept it for himself if he had to, but not for Maria. They had kept far enough ahead of the game that they had been able to avoid that so far, but there was no way of knowing how much the van was going to set them back. They picked up the odd jobs here and there, always doing their best to put back a little more than what they had to use, but something like this could wipe out their savings in no time.

His thoughts turned to his own words as he plowed through the snow. _It's time to split up._ It had never really been a question of _if _they would split up, but more a question of _when_. Six months had been pushing it, they all knew that staying together was a risk but it was one they had continued to take. _Would Maria come with him because it's what they'd always done? Like a bad habit that just refused to be gotten rid of? What if she wanted to go with one of the others? Could he stand back and let her go?_

_Given the choice, would she come with me? _ His stride slowed down because of the deep snow and he swallowed hard as his thoughts took a dark turn. _Got a better question for ya, Mickey… why would she? Plannin' to keep her safe by lying and stealing… how long before she regrets the decision to be with you a second time? How do you know she doesn't already regret it?_ He shook his head to clear it, hating that particular voice. Doubts, fears and insecurities, they always seemed to have that same voice and he didn't need a shrink to know why.

He knew how much she had given up to be with him… whatever that meant. He wasn't even sure they were together and now here he was contemplating whether or not she'd continue to stay with him when the group split up. She had given up her home, her family, her singing… she'd given up everything to be with him. He stared around at the white landscape feeling old doubts and insecurities creeping up on him. She had given up everything and he had given her nothing in return.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Kyle called Maria's name, stopping her before she could go after Michael and he nodded to her when she stopped in her tracks, hand on the doorknob.

"What's up?"

"Listen," he lowered his voice, "El Capitan's startin' to cross the line into scary territory. He's gonna go ballistic when he finds out… um…"

Maria wrinkled her nose and her eyes narrowed when he started hedging. "C'mon, Kyle, just spit it out already. When Michael finds out what?"

He cleared his throat. "Look, you've gotta get that guy to relax. I could suggest some meditations but I'm pretty sure he and Isabel have conferred and he'd give me the same response I get from her. And I'm pretty sure if I ever took that advice I'd be walkin' funny for a long time and Buddha wouldn't appreciate it either."

Maria rolled her eyes and grabbed him by the collar, pulling him so close their noses were almost touching. "Kyle, I do not have all day here, so if you would please get to the point…"

"Thevanengine'stoastanditcan'tberepaired," he said quickly.

Her eyes narrowed further as she attempted to translate his mumbles. "It can't be repaired," she repeated slowly. "You're sure about that?"

"Pretty damn sure, yeah. It was dark and it was nearly cold enough for me to be frozen to the van, but uh… the size of the oil puddle underneath was pretty self-explanatory. Very bad sound, puddle of oil… kinda equals one huge red flag. He was seriously on edge when we broke down and I figured pointing it out at that moment wasn't necessary. Not to mention he'd just about busted his ass on the asphalt right before I made that discovery, so… no."

She released a pent-up sigh. "That's just great." Ballistic was too tame a word for the meltdown he was going to have if Kyle's analysis of the van was accurate. They were looking at an eruption of volcanic proportions for sure.

"Maria, he'll listen to you. Just… ya know… get him to relax."

"Um-hmm, and how exactly do you expect me to do that? Have you seen him lately? Relaxing is so far out of his realm of capabilities right now."

"Well, you know… maybe some," he wiggled his eyebrows in an effort to convey his thoughts meaningfully, "_together_ time."

She stared at him for a moment, trying to decipher his cryptic tone and dancing eyebrows. "Are we talking about sex, Kyle?" She held a hand up, stopping him. "Please say no."

"Well, you are the one here with the best chance of usin' that particular method to get him to chill out. Other than you, what're our other options? A married couple, Isabel's practically his sister, and well… I'm sooo not goin' there. That leaves you and it's in the group's best interest that you… ya know." Kyle held his hands up when she made a face at him and turned to pull the door open. "What'd I say?" he called after her.

"You're a man of such tasteful ideas," Isabel remarked as she placed the little grizzly bear back in his seat and gave him a final pat before turning to Kyle. "I have no idea why I married you."

He snorted and followed her out the door. "Goes to show you just how lucky you are." He glanced at the last two standing in the cabin. "Time for breakfast, you guys."

Max and Liz exchanged a look.

"Uh, yeah… we've still gotta shower," Liz said, her dark eyes dancing as she looked at her husband.

"Yeah," Max added, not bothering to take his eyes off of her. "You can cover for us, right, Kyle?"

"Ungh, so do not need to be here right now." He pulled the door closed and ran after Isabel. "Hey, babe, wait up!" He took a step back when she suddenly stopped and turned and he ran into her. He hadn't realized she had been walking slowly so he could catch up to her.

"I don't do pet names, Kyle. Not babe, baby, sugar, sweetie, sweetheart, or any other colorful pet name you can come up with. I am not a child and I am certainly not your pet, so do not refer to me as such."

He grinned and gave her a sloppy salute. "So, is this our first official fight?"

Isabel glared at him for a moment before turning and heading for the house.

Kyle released a relieved breath and reached up to wipe his brow when she started walking again. _Whew, that was a close one! Talk about your arctic fronts!_ He hurried to catch up with her, falling into step beside her. His intention had been to keep her mind occupied, not start a fight. He knew Michael's mention of the group splitting up had to be bothering her and before long she would say something just to get it out.

Isabel's thoughts were running in circles, seeming to be stuck on five little words. _It's time to split up._ She had known it had to happen eventually, not just for their safety but for their sanity as well. She had just hoped that it wouldn't be as permanent as the ominous words made it seem. She already felt so alone. The thought of being separated from the only family she had left was just unbearable.

She found herself seeking reassurance from the one person who seemed to know her better than anyone else. _What would she do without him if it ever came to that? _"What happens when we split up, Kyle?"

He reached for her hand and tucked it in the crook of his arm. "We can't split up without havin' a way outta here, can we?" He shook his head in response to his own question. "Don't worry, we're gonna be okay no matter what happens."

She nodded but remained silent, feeling a calm settle over her at his words. Her fingers tightened on his arm for just a moment, conveying her appreciation and she smiled when he patted her hand in response.


	18. Chapter 18

**Author's Note: **A couple of lines in this part were borrowed from the Season Three episode Samuel Rising.

**Part 18**

"Hey, check it out," Kyle said, pointing at the activity up ahead.

The Stevens kids were outside, working together to hollow out an area of the snow-filled ditch that ran alongside the driveway. The boys were using the excess snow to create a wall of sorts while Maggie was busy checking out their work and creating a large smiley face in the 'wall'.

As the group neared the boys moved away and Michael overheard Eddie tell her she was the princess of the fort and she should stay inside. The little girl nodded enthusiastically and scrambled into the snow fort without any further encouragement and the boys grinned as they high-fived each other.

Brian turned his head and grinned at them, waiting until they were close before he spoke. "Hey."

Michael nodded. "How's it goin'?"

Maggie popped up to announce, "We got a snow day!"

"Cool." He looked around at the white landscape and silently cursed the cold that was making his feet numb. He wiggled his toes around as he turned back to the kids. "Isn't it about time for breakfast?"

"Um, Mom an' Dad weren't up yet." Brian shrugged uncomfortably as he dusted excess snow from the snowball he was forming in his gloved hands. "No way I'm gonna go knock on that door."

"Brian, duck!" Eddie hollered.

He turned and opened his mouth, barely getting out "What're you – " before a snowball hit him square in the chest. His surprised gaze dropped to his little sister and he hefted the snowball in his hand before pulling his arm back and firing back at her, missing her when she ducked down in the fort again.

"Hey, this looks like fun," Kyle enthused as he and Isabel joined them.

Brian glanced at him. "You can be on our side."

Kyle winked at Isabel. "Guys against the girls?"

"Yeah, you guys can be on our side," Eddie said as he came up beside his brother. He nodded at Isabel and made a face. "You gotta be on Maggie's side since you're a girl."

Isabel narrowed her eyes when Kyle turned and opened his mouth. "One word, Kyle," she warned.

"Michael's on our side," Brian insisted.

"Uh-uh." Maggie ran up to Michael and wrapped her small gloved hand around his right hand as she smiled up at him. "You can come see the castle." She wrinkled her nose and lowered her voice to a stage whisper. "They said it's a fort, but it's really a castle." She turned and motioned for Maria and Isabel to follow them. "C'mon, all the princesses get to stay in the castle."

Michael ducked down at the entrance to the fort/castle and glanced around. "This's kinda cool." _More like freezing,_ he thought. "So you're gonna hang out in here 'cause you're the princess?"

"Uh-huh."

"Who protects the princess?"

"Um…"

"Every princess needs her Captain of the Guard to protect her."

Maggie thought about that for a moment. "What's that mean?" She turned to look at the girls when Maria snorted.

"It means we're strong princesses and he has to listen to our commands," Isabel said.

Maria shook her head. "Strong, yes. In need of protection, no."

Michael ignored them as he dropped to his haunches, bringing him to eye level with the little girl. "What is your command, Princess Maggie?"

She pursed her lips as she glanced around and after a moment she pointed at a nearby tree. "You can guard from there."

Standing guard at the tree didn't keep him from coming under attack as the Stevens boys and Kyle launched their assault on the fort. Kyle took great delight in sneaking around to score a direct hit on Isabel. Michael shook his head at the girls' attempt to fight back. Maggie couldn't get much distance on her snowballs, Maria really did throw like a girl, and Isabel was spending so much time making each snowball perfectly round before firing that she wasn't getting many shots off. It was only a matter of time before the fort fell into enemy hands. The boys were getting bolder as they advanced on the fort and they were getting more hits than the girls were.

He ducked behind the tree just in time to miss a hit and as he came around the other side he saw Maggie take a direct hit in the face with a snowball that had been thrown hard. She fell back to land on her backside in the snow and he could see several emotions race across her expressive features in just a matter of seconds. As the shock wore off he saw her lower lip tremble for just a couple of seconds and he hurried over to help her up. Her blue eyes were swimming in tear that she was trying to hold back.

"What happened?" Isabel asked when she noticed Michael pulling Maggie behind the wall.

"The princess just intercepted enemy fire intended for Maria."

"What?" Maria crouched down next to the little girl. "Are you alright?"

Maggie sniffled and rubbed her gloved hand across her eyes, wincing slightly when it brushed over the spot where the snowball had impacted with her cheek. "I'm okay. My captain saved me."

Maria bit back a smile as she looked up at Michael. "Abandon your post?"

"Mission protocol states clearly that defending the fort and the princess takes precedence over standing a post. Why don't you two see about holdin' 'em off while Princess Maggie restocks the ammo an' I decide which target to take out first."

For the next few minutes Maria and Isabel did their best to defend the fort while Maggie made snowball after snowball, handing them to Michael and watching him as he packed them good and tight before flinging them at the boys.

Kyle turned his head when he caught movement from the corner of his eye and he nodded at Max and Liz. "Better pick a side," he warned.

"I think we'll sit this one out," Max said, eyeing the others warily when they all paused to look at him and Liz, armed with snowballs and just waiting to fire.

"No way, Evans." Kyle shook his head and tossed the snowball from one hand to the other.

"Yeah, pick a side or else we all target you," Brian yelled.

Liz glanced back and forth between the two sides. _It really wasn't much of a choice,_ she thought with a glance at Michael. She saw him say something to Maggie and she scooped up a snowball that he packed, his eyes moving between her and Max. "Good luck!" she yelled and ran for the fort.

Max' mouth dropped open at her sudden defection and he leaned over to scoop up a handful of snow.

"Look at that," Kyle mused. "Looks like it's me an' you again, Evans."

"Shouldn't you be with your wife?" Max asked.

Kyle grinned and jumped back with Isabel hit Max with pinpoint accuracy. Before he could get a laugh out he took a hit between the shoulder blades and went into the snow face-first.

Liz and Maria both started making snowballs and handing them off to Isabel since it quickly became apparent that she and Michael were both adding a little extra force when aiming at Max and Kyle.

Michael stood up, hands braced on the wall as he glanced over at the opposing side. Max and Kyle were lying on their backs after another round of fire and Brian and Eddie had taken cover behind a makeshift wall of snow. "Surrender or end up like your comrades!" he yelled.

"Yeah!" Maggie added as she clambered up on one of the walls, holding onto Michael's shoulder as she pointed at the boys. "It's time to give up!"

Maria glanced at Michael, wincing when she noticed just how red his bare hands were. She saw him flex his fingers slowly as he leaned forward to rest his weight on his elbows.

"Whatcha think, Princess Maggie?" he asked as he looked up at her. "Have they had enough?"

The little girl turned her head to look at the others, smiling in satisfaction when they all stayed where they were. She looked at him once more and nodded. "I think so."

Michael picked her up and settled her on his shoulders. "Time for breakfast then."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Once inside their outer gear came off and Maggie took Michael's hand to lead him over to the table, pulling out the chair he had used the night before. "I'll make yours," she insisted, making sure he sat down before she scurried across the room to pick up Miss Cindy. She carried the bear over to Michael and rested her chin on its head as she looked up at him. "Can Cindy sit with you? She'll be lonely all by herself."

_No. The answer was no._ Michael cleared his throat and nodded silently, reminding himself to give Max and Kyle both a good swift kick as soon as the little girl wasn't looking.

Maggie smiled up at him before placing the beloved toy in his lap and hurrying over to the pantry. The boys reached over and around her as they gathered boxes of cereal, the milk from the refrigerator, bowls and spoons, glasses and juice. They unloaded everything on the table so everyone could dig in, ignoring their little sister while she chattered on about Michael's abilities as the Captain. They had first-hand knowledge of his abilities. There was no need to relive their defeat through her retelling of the story.

Maria watched Michael with Maggie, smiling at the little polar bear held snugly under one of his big reddened hands. He had relaxed since being outside playing with the kids. She thought back to last Christmas, remembering watching the way he dealt with the kids while he played Santa. Liz had pointed out the obvious when she had spoken up from beside her.

"_He's really good with kids."_

"_Yeah, he's so adorable. Oh! This is exactly what was not supposed to happen."_

She chewed on her lip at the memory. Uselessly she found herself wishing she could go back, change the way she had handled certain things and stop herself from saying other things. She reached over and took one of his hands, warming it between both of hers.

Eddie elbowed his older brother when their parents walked into the kitchen and both boys made identical faces of disgust at the obvious affection between Edward and Julia. Maggie ran to Edward, already launching into the morning's activities and Michael's heroics when he picked her up in his arms.

"We made a fort and Brian an' Eddie made me the princess of the fort an' it was gonna be attacked, Daddy!" She was completely oblivious to the hard look he shot at the boys who were suddenly very interested in the cereal in their bowls.

Edward reached up to brush his fingers over the tiny red spot high on her cheek, a mark leftover from the snowball. He tipped his head back to study it, trying to determine if it was going to bruise as he made a sound of agreement to whatever she had just said.

"That snowball was intended for me," Michael said.

"I see." Edward nodded to the things strewn out over the counter. "Whatcha doin' over here?"

"Oh! Makin' a special breakfast for Captain Michael."

"Captain… uh-huh." He put her down and watched her run over to finish making breakfast.

Maggie pushed the button down on the toaster and hummed to herself while she went to get the jam from the refrigerator. She filled a bowl with Cocoa Puffs and added milk just as the toast popped up. She spread a thick layer of jam over the toast and then carried it over to the table, the bowl held high and her steps slow to avoid spilling anything.

Maria held tighter to his hand when he started to pull it away. "Your hands are freezing, Michael," she said, shaking her head at him.

"Don't worry 'bout 'em, they're fine," he insisted. He gave in and let her hold onto his hand as he looked over the food Maggie was putting on the table for him. "Looks good."

Maggie beamed proudly as she watched him munching on his Cocoa Puffs while Miss Cindy sat in his lap, held carefully between his body and the edge of the table. She tipped her head back to look up at Mama when she came up behind her.

Julia took a look at Michael's hands, seeing the early warning signs of the first stage of frostbite. "Maggie, would you get me a bowl from the bottom cabinet while Michael's eating his breakfast?"

The little girl followed Mama's gaze to Michael's reddened hands and she reached out to touch the one still wrapped around Miss Cindy. "Oh," she said, dragging the word out for several seconds, "his hands got too cold like the time when Daddy tried to fix your broken car, huh?"

"Yes, honey."

Michael shook his head. "Nah, they're fine."

"They're not alright, Michael," Maria disagreed. "You need to get them warm."

"After I finish my breakfast of the champions." He turned his attention back to Maggie and with a smile asked, "May I have seconds on the Cocoa Puffs, Princess?"

Maggie gave him a big smile as she nodded. "Of course, Capt'n Michael."

Maria wanted to roll her eyes at 'his worship' but how could she when he was enjoying the attention he was getting from Maggie and Miss Cindy? He was almost smiling… nearly showing his teeth. She missed this side of him so much. "Michael, as soon as you're done…"

He turned to look at Maria, his gaze dropping to their hands for just a moment before his eyes lifted to hers once more. "Ya know, I was thinkin' I could really go for a hot cup of coffee and later on… maybe a foot rub," he added with a wink. He frowned when she released his hand and got up, but before long she was returning with a cup of hot coffee.

"Don't put your hands on that cup," Julia said just as his hands were moving towards the heated ceramic. "You'll damage the tissue where you're frostbitten."

Maria snatched the coffee out of his reach, earning a glare from him.

Julia ran warm water into the bowl Maggie had gotten for her, constantly dipping her fingers into it to check the temperature. "Maria, would you mind grabbing some hand towels from the hall closet?"

Michael's gaze followed the coffee cup when Maria slid it further down the table and Kyle took it before reaching for the sugar bowl at the center of the table. He shifted to look up when Julia appeared at his right elbow, leaning forward to place a bowl of water in front of him. Maggie appeared at his other side to slide his bowl of Cocoa Puffs on the table.

"Maggie, go see if Daddy wants some toast with his cereal."

Michael watched the little girl as she rounded the table, smiling slightly when Edward picked her up and settled her on his lap. _That list of people to envy was getting longer,_ he thought.

"Mama," Maggie giggled as she laughed at something Daddy whispered in her ear. "Daddy says you promised him cookies for breakfast."

"I did, really?" Julia fought back a smile. "Is Daddy sure?"

The boys groaned as they finished their cereal. "Mom, can we be excused?" they asked at the same time.

She gave them a look.

"May we?" they chorused.

"Go on." Julia eased Michael's right hand into the water. "Let it soak for just a few minutes." She patted his shoulder and moved to the refrigerator, reaching for the cookie tin on top. She opened it and a look of confusion crossed her face as she stared at the contents… that weren't there. "Where'd the cookies go?"

"I dunno." Edward looked at her with knowing eyes. "Must've been a hungry thief in the middle of the night."

Kyle watched the others around the table as he finished his bowl of Rice Krispies. To his right he had Max and Liz, caught up in the secret language of lovers. Across from him Michael was being waited on hand and foot by not one, but three females. And his 'wife' was busy reading the nutrition panel on each of the cereal boxes and unconsciously separating the marshmallow shapes in her Lucky Charms and putting the different shapes in their own little section of the bowl.

He finished stirring the sugar into his confiscated coffee, tapping the spoon against it before setting it aside. He shot a triumphant grin at Michael as he prepared to enjoy the spoils of war but before he could pick the cup up for a taste test Isabel reached over and swiped it, taking a sip and smiling at him.

"Oh, honey," she said, drawing the endearment out, "it's perfect. You made it just the way I like it."

_She thought she had him._ Kyle just grinned at her as he nodded. "Anything for one of your foot rubs, babe," he said with a smirk on his face. Oh, yeah, he'd pay for that one later, but for right now she was just gonna have to suck it up and deal with it.


	19. Chapter 19

**Part 19**

Edward pinched the bridge of his nose when the sound of arguing began to filter in from the living room. The boys were fighting over the remote as the television droned on in the background and he knew if it wasn't stopped soon it would only escalate. He pushed himself up out of his chair and went into the other room, taking the remote and stepping between them.

"The TV is mine and the remote is mine… you two don't own a thing." With that said he flipped the channel over to the news, listening as the reporter talked about the 16 inches of snow already on the ground and predicted more wind and snow on the way.

Maria watched Michael as he dried his hands on the towel she had placed next to him. It would have been impossible to not hear the weather report since Edward had turned the volume up and she knew it wasn't what Michael had wanted to hear. He got to his feet, walking over to the window and looking out at the seemingly endless canvass of white laid out before him. She could see the tension in the set of his shoulders and the way he held his jaw so taut and she knew his mind was on the van. She glanced at Kyle as her own mind drifted to his last words to her at the cabin. He was positive the engine was shot and when Michael found out she knew he was going to lose it. _Maybe getting snowed in was a good thing._

Kyle joined Michael at the window under the guise of taking a look outside. "Just play it cool, Mi Capitan," he muttered under his breath.

"Dealership's only about 12 miles from here," Michael said as he contemplated the distance the mouthy tow truck driver had given him the day before.

"They haven't had time to look at the van. Hell, they probably haven't even made it to the shop yet. If they make it in at all today. Plus, there's the little issue of the van not even makin' it outta the parkin' lot in this stuff. Rear-wheel drive, remember? Not that it matters if that engine's in the same condition it was in when it was picked up yesterday."

Edward stepped into the kitchen again and his eyes locked on Michael as the younger man turned away from the window. "Looks like you kids'll be here another night."

Julia rolled her eyes. _Hadn't she told them all that very thing the night before?_

"Besides, Julia did promise to make cookies with Maggie and the girls today."

Eddie suddenly forgot all about whatever he had wanted to watch on TV as he followed Dad into the kitchen and asked, "Can we get the sleds out?"

Maggie's little ears perked up as Eddie's question caught her attention and she squeezed Miss Cindy tighter as she hurried over to Daddy. "Oh, Daddy, can we go sledding at Mr. Tony's house?"

"Not those kinda sleds, Maggie," Brian cut her off. "Besides, we can't go to Mr. Tony's house."

Eddie elbowed him when he caught the tell-tale sign of shining eyes as Maggie looked between them. "Nice work, dufus, you're gonna get us in all kinds of trouble." He walked over to his little sister and smiled. "Maybe you an' the girls can make cookies while we go snowmobiling and later I'll take you over to Mr. Tony's hill to go sleddin'."

"First things first," Julia held a hand up before anymore plans could be made. "We're gonna need some groceries and since we won't be making it in to Oscoda we're gonna need to make a trip to Big Dave's Hardware."

Kyle patted Michael on the back before he took his seat once more. "Hardware store food, huh? Isn't that great, honey?" he asked as he reached over to pat Isabel's arm. "You just love beef jerky."

Julia snorted at that, somehow doubting that Kyle's wife had ever touched a piece of beef jerky in her life. "Big Dave has a general store that he stocks with enough variety that we'll be able to get by until we can get into town."

Edward looked at the boys as he reached for Maggie's hand. "We'll get the snowmobiles out after I plow the driveway." He smiled at his little girl and his eyes grazed over the mark on her cheek before he turned to the boys. "When I'm done we'll take the sleds over to Big Dave's to get supplies." He picked his daughter up. "What would you rather do? Stay here and bake cookies with the girls or go sleddin' over at Mr. Tony's while I take these boys out and try to catch some dinner out on the lake?"

Michael watched the Stevens boys as they held their breath, no doubt hoping that she'd pick baking cookies. He smirked when she chose to go sledding and their expressions revealed their disappointment. He could only imagine that her choice meant that one or both of them would be sent with her to keep an eye on her. He turned to look at Maria as she talked to Liz, wondering if she had been like Maggie as a little girl.

His gaze strayed to Edward and Maggie once more and he thought about Maria's dad. His lips lifted in a smile as he remembered a young Maria courtesy of one of the first flashes he'd ever had of her. He could still see the red shoes with the Kermit patch on them… the Dalmation dog licking her face… The smile vanished, replaced by a frown that pulled his eyebrows down over the bridge of his nose as he recalled her pain. _How could her dad just leave her like that? What a loser!_

"Any of you boys ever been fishin' before?" Edward asked, wondering at Michael's scrutiny.

"I went with my dad once," Kyle spoke up. "Caught a largemouth bass."

Michael snorted. "I think you left out the little part about you puttin' it back in the lake."

Liz rested her chin on Max's shoulder. "Max used to go fishing with his dad all the time."

He forced a smile as he remembered the last time he had been out on the lake with his dad. Things hadn't been right between them and now that they knew the truth it was too late to make it right.

"What about you, Michael?"

He shrugged, wishing he could remove the man's predatory gaze. "I can fry 'em."

"That's good 'cause we're low in the pantry an' Julia will be busy makin' cookies." He turned to his youngest boy. "Eddie, you're on shovel duty; porches and anything Brian can't get to with 'Little Red'." He looked at his little girl and smiled. "You and Miss Cindy Bear stay here with Mama while I get 'Big Red' out to plow the driveway." He set Maggie back on her feet as he set about getting ready to go out into the cold.

"What's a 'little red'?" Maria asked curiously.

Eddie jumped to be the first to answer, smiling as he shared the information. "Mom names everything around here. 'Little Red' is our snow blower an' Dad's truck is 'Big Red'."

Brian rolled his eyes at his brother. "You're such a dork," he muttered, shoving Eddie's shoulder as he walked out of the room to get ready.

"Don't forget Hercules the Hawk," Maggie added. "He lives here too."

Julia crossed the room to take a look at Michael's hands, reaching for them and holding them up to the light coming in through the window. "You're lucky they weren't more frostbitten," she mused as she gently probed his hands that were still red in patches. "Maria, would you run into the laundry room and pick out a pair of thermal socks? There's a pile of Edward's clean socks on the dryer."

Maria returned with the socks a few moments later and walked over to Michael. Julia was doing something across the room so she tucked one sock under her arm and rolled the other one in her hands. "I think I know what she wants to do," she said as she held it up in front of him.

"What? I'm not puttin' someone else's socks on my hands," he muttered, shaking his head.

"We're gonna have to go back to the cabin to get your gloves before we do anything else. You don't want to expose them to the cold."

He tucked his hands under his armpits and stared at her mutinously.

"Michael, don't make me call Maggie over here."

His gaze shifted to the little girl who was anxiously watching him as she leaned on one of the kitchen chairs, her chin resting on top of Miss Cindy's head. He sighed in defeat and held his hand out to Maria.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Michael watched Edward as he unlocked the garage door and pushed it open, wincing at the screeching sound of metal on metal as it rolled along the tracks. His eyes moved over the snowmobiles, mentally counting them. There were six in all. Four that they rented out and two that belonged to the family as Edward explained it.

His gloved fingertips brushed over the handlebars of one of the snowmobiles before he threw his right leg over the seat to get a feel for it. He visually scanned over the controls. _Brake, throttle, kill switch… not too different from the dirt bike. He could probably have a pretty good handle on these things without too much trouble or time. If it came down to it, they'd be able to make a run for it._ He felt that familiar feeling of disgust roll over him as he contemplated the lock on the door, the gas containers stored away in one corner, the snowmobiles themselves and what it would take to steal them.

"Alright, let's get you kids outfitted," Edward said as he motioned to the open lockers on the far wall where the gear was stored.

Half an hour later he was satisfied that he had everyone was as ready as they were going to get.

"Nice high-waters," Kyle said, snorting at the too-short legs on Michael's coveralls.

"Why don't you shut up, Valenti?" he bit out.

Maria rubbed his arm and shook her head sharply at Kyle. Michael was already on edge and while Kyle was just teasing and messing with him he was just not in the mood for it. There was no way to convince him he didn't look like the jolly green giant dressed up in an outfit that was considerably too short so she just left it alone. She nearly choked on a laugh at the mental image of Michael as a green giant in a pair of too-short black coveralls and she quickly sobered and asked, "What were you sayin' about drivin' these things?" to distract him before he demanded to know what was wrong with her.

"Huh?" Michael turned his head to look at her. "Oh, just that I basically know what I'm doin'. Not that much different than ridin' the bike back…" he shrugged. "Anyway, similar enough that I can handle it."

The ride to the general store only took a few minutes and Michael glared at Maria as they dismounted. His ears were still ringing from the continuous scream of _"Slow down!"_ that he no doubt would still be hearing in his sleep. "Slow down," he snorted. "It only took like two minutes to get here."

"Yeah, because you were drivin' like a bat outta hell."

"That was great, huh?" Kyle asked as he joined them, pulling his helmet off.

Maria just rolled her eyes when they high-fived each other before Michael grabbed her hand and pulled her along behind him as they filed into the store with the rustic exterior. As soon as they were inside everyone split off, going into different directions.

Isabel stopped just beyond the entrance and her eyes roved over the interior. "Who designed the lighting in this place?"

"Who cares?" Michael muttered.

She turned to tell him to shut it when she noticed Maria browsing along the aisle across from them, humming to herself as she poked through the selection of toothbrushes. She nudged him with her elbow and motioned to his girlfriend when she picked up the box for an electric toothbrush… or was it a waterpick?

Michael smirked and stood up a little straighter as he took in Maria's focus on the back of the box. He shot a smug look at Isabel and nodded at her, feeling vindicated.

Until Maria opened her mouth to mutter derogatorily, "The perfect gift?" She held the box up, showing it to Michael and Isabel as she pointed to it. "Can you believe that? It actually says it's the perfect gift! They honestly printed it on there!"

Isabel chuckled. "Chalk one up for the Christmas Nazi," she whispered before turning and walking away.

Michael wandered over to join Maria, glancing over at the next aisle to see what Max was picking up. He rolled his eyes at the bottle of _Luscious Locks _heather-scented shampoo Max held in one hand as he and Liz teased each other and laughed quietly as they picked through the available selection of condoms. _Sooo don't need to see this,_ he thought.

Julia caught his attention when she approached the man who had to be the Big Dave behind Big Dave's Hardware. The guy was… well… big. Tall, round, with grey hair, hazel eyes and an easy smile.

"Looks like you've got quite a bit of company here, Julia."

Michael pretended not to watch her, but his ears were straining to hear every word she spoke and he could hear the smile in her voice when she did.

"Yes, we do. They were on their way to visit relatives in Sault Sainte Marie and their van broke down so they're staying with us until it's fixed."

He looked at Maria when he heard Julia's variation of the story that the girls had come up with. "See, even Julia didn't buy it," he muttered. He rolled his eyes when Max and Liz finally left the next aisle after stocking up and they wandered down over to the aisle with donuts. He watched with interest as Kyle meandered down to the condom section and he leaned forward to rest his forearms on the top of the shelf in front of him as he listened to him muttering to himself.

"How much longer before the dry spell's over, Buddha?"

Michael snickered and scratched his chin with his thumb. "Oh, c'mon, Valenti… can't be that bad. You an' Rosy have a standin' date, don't ya?"

Kyle whirled around to glare at Michael. "What the hell are you talkin' about?"

"Rosy… ya know…" he smirked and held his right hand up. "Rosy Palm."

"Bite me," he snapped and wandered out of the aisles to join Isabel where she was standing at the counter, talking to an older woman on the other side of the ancient cash register. His eyes scanned over the woman and then the big fella talking to Julia and he decided they must be married. His ears perked up when he realized that Isabel and the woman were in a seriously in-depth conversation about Christmas at Tawas Lake.

_Oh boy, _he thought when the woman glanced at him and smiled. He immediately recognized the manic gleam in her eyes as she talked about Christmas. _This was the countrified version of Isabel Evans,_ he realized.

"Oh, Kyle, this's Dayna Martin," Julia introduced them when the woman stopped for a breath. "Dayna, this's Isabel's husband, Kyle."

Yep, there it was. He could feel the death glare from less than three feet away. He shook the woman's hand and smiled when she launched into praise of his 'wife's' brilliant ideas.

"I'd just love to see Christmas on the Lake happen even though Tony isn't here." She touched her husband's arm, giving it a gentle squeeze as she continued. "He'd love it if the tradition continued."

Maggie stretched up on her tiptoes to rest her chin on her knuckles as she looked up at Big Dave. "Michael knows Santa," she announced as she pointed in his direction without looking at him. "An' Isabel, she knows Santa's special elves, Snowflake an' Candycane."

Maria snorted softly when Michael groaned. He looked like he was on the verge of beating his head against the shelf in front of him. While Maggie was busy sharing everything she knew about her new friends, Isabel and Dayna were busy plotting and scheming, coming up with a plan to make Christmas on the Lake happen this year.

"Say," Kyle spoke up, "ya know, the wife used to throw this sort of thing together back home. She used to arrange for actual reindeer to be brought in." He grinned at Max who was standing just close enough to hear him. "Yep, she knows a reindeer wrangler. Fella just does wonders with all sorts of animals."

Michael thumped his forehead against the shelf twice before he straightened up and looked at Maria. "I'm gonna go look for a showerhead," he muttered.

Maria nodded as she moved down to the next section. "Okay. Oh, Michael?" she called before he could get too far away. She smiled when he turned to face her. "Pick up a shower curtain too." She rolled her eyes at him when he gave her that annoyed look that told her just how much he hated shopping for anything. "One is no good without the other."

"Whatever."

Maggie eventually found her way over to the candy aisle and browsed the colorful wrappers looking for her favorite one. Her hand finally wrapped around the package and she smiled as she ran over to show it off to Michael and Maria. "It's my favorite candy," she said as she held it up.

"Your favorite, huh?" Michael asked as he eyed the little brown package of M&Ms. He and Maria exchanged a look before he turned his attention back to Maggie. "Good choice."

Julia looked up from her perusal of the dry pastas when her daughter ran up to her.

"Mama, Michael said if it's okay with you that I can have the M&Ms. He'll buy them for me."

She smiled at her little girl. "He did, did he?"

"Mama, can I have the M&Ms?"

She thought about correcting her until she glanced up at Michael and caught his faint smile. "Yes, you may. What do you say to Michael?"

Maggie ran up to Michael with a little skip in her step. "Thank you, Michael."

Edward called the boys over to give him a hand as he showed them how to pick out tackle and minnows for their fishing trip that afternoon and while Michael had little interest in fishing he wouldn't turn down an opportunity to learn a new skill because there was no telling when it might come in handy on the run.

By the time everyone had picked up what they needed Isabel and Dayna had hatched the beginnings of their plan and they set a date for the next day to meet to go over more details. Isabel was feeling much better as she leaned against the counter, not even realizing that she hadn't picked anything up until she noticed Big Dave ringing things up and bagging them.

"Oh, I should – "

Kyle held his hand up and shook his head. "I got our stuff."

Max was wrapped around Liz from behind and the two of them were swaying back and forth in time to the music coming from the old radio behind the counter. He grinned at something she whispered as he turned his head and noticed what Maria was holding. He caught her eye and mouthed a silent 'thank you'.

Maria held up the packages containing the showerhead and the curtain with little yellow ducks on it, winking at him. She shoved Michael with her elbow when he shot a look of disgust at the curtain. He had tried to convince her that the little store didn't stock shower curtains but Big Dave had been kind enough to point her in the right direction. As soon as she'd seen the selection of the single shower curtain she had understood his reluctance to pick it up and walk around with it. He'd rather have water all over the floor than be surrounded by little yellow duckies.

Kyle motioned to the things Julia had placed on the counter a little further down. "You can bag it separately, but put it all on one bill, please."

"Oh, that's not necessary," Julia protested and then made a face at Edward when he poked her. She smacked his hand away. "Really, Kyle, it's not necessary."

"Maybe not, but we'd appreciate it if you'd let us cover it," Kyle said.

She started to protest again but this time it was Isabel who spoke up. "We really would like to cover it, Julia. You've already done so much for us."

"Well…"

Liz smiled at the woman who had taken them into her own home and taken care of them without knowing a single thing about them. She could see the woman's reluctance to let them pay for things but she finally gave in gracefully with a 'thank you' and a smile.


	20. Chapter 20

**Author's Note: **A few lines in this part were borrowed from the Season Three Roswell episode Ch-Ch-Changes.

**Part 20**

Liz was straightening up when someone knocked on the door and the simple pleasure of having a door for someone else to knock on made her smile. She glanced around on her way to the living area and experienced a rare moment of peace. It wasn't permanent, she knew that, but she had every intention of enjoying it while it lasted. She pulled the door open and motioned for Maria to hurry up and come inside.

"I was hoping it'd be you."

"After this morning's interruption I wouldn't have answered the door," Maria said as she walked into the small kitchen and set a bag on the counter.

"Well… he's just been under a lot of pressure."

"That may be the reason for his behavior but it doesn't excuse it." She rolled her eyes and shrugged out of her coat, draping it over the back of the couch as she followed Liz. Her eyes wandered over the furniture, the spacious interior and the romantic French doors that led into the bedroom. "He's reverting back to old behaviors and I know it's his way of coping but it still doesn't excuse him."

"Okay, well, his timing could've been better," Liz admitted as she put the last of Max's clothes away. "So, where's Isabel?"

"She went up to the house to give Julia a hand with the cookies since Maggie went with the guys to go fishing or whatever." She wrinkled her nose and shuddered comically. "I can't imagine anything that would be worse than standing on a block of ice and fishing through a little hole when it's this cold out." She paused a moment. "Okay, well, that wouldn't be any fun if it wasn't this cold either."

Liz rolled her eyes. "Tell me about it. And when they come back we'll be duty-bound to be impressed with whatever they've caught."

"I don't know about duty-bound but I'll be impressed if Michael catches something. He's never been fishing a day in his life so if he catches anything at all it'll be impressive. You might be duty bound and so is…"

They looked at each other and said, "Mrs. Valenti," at the same time before they burst out laughing.

Maria's eyes followed Liz as she moved around the room, straightening things up and dusting. _Busy work,_ she realized. "So, spill, how was your night?" She watched her hand hesitate as she wiped down the mirror that hung on the bathroom door. "It must've been good if the coffee was still in the box by the door." She rolled her eyes when Liz continued to wipe the mirror down. "Good grief, Liz, you're gonna polish that mirror until it no longer reflects… what exactly did that thing see last night?"

Liz literally felt the heat in her face and knew without looking that she had flushed crimson. "Maria," she protested.

"I'm just sayin'… it's got a great view of the bed," she teased, laughing when Liz turned yet another shade of red.

She smiled slightly as she moved away from the mirror, folding and refolding the little dust cloth she held. "It feels weird to be together like this. I've really missed this."

Maria held a hand up and pointed to the bed. "Sit. I'll be right back." She ran to grab the contents from the bag she had left on the kitchen counter and rummaged around in a couple of the drawers before hurrying back. She offered the pint of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream to Liz along with a spoon and she sat down across from her on the foot of the bed. "I sooo could not believe that Big Dave had cookie dough ice cream!" She wiggled around in a parody of her happy dance. "Yay! Okay, let's talk. For real, chica"

"Weren't we just talking?" Liz asked with a frown as she popped the top off of the ice cream and leaned over to place it on the nightstand.

"You know what I mean." She pointed at Liz with her spoon. "_Talk_ to me. How was your night?"

"It was… Parts of it were good. Like _really_ good," she said with a tinge of red heating up her cheeks, "but there's just something, I don't know, missing." She sighed as she held the ice cream out to Maria so she could get some. "I guess I was hoping that our connection wouldn't feel so distant since we were alone and for the first time in what feels like forever it wasn't a spur-of-the-moment rushed thing."

Maria nodded as she sucked on the spoonful of ice cream she had just put in her mouth. "I know what you mean."

Liz took another bite of her ice cream and pulled her knees up as she leaned back against the headboard. "How was your night with Michael?"

"Long." She exhaled slowly. "I don't feel him reach out to me with his mind anymore, Liz," she admitted finally, her voice low. "Not even when we've been, you know, _together_." She glanced at her reflection in the full-length mirror, taking in her flawless hair and makeup along with the clothing that was layered for the weather but courtesy of Isabel, still had style.

As she met her own gaze she was taken back to another bedroom and another mirror that she had stood in front of, trying out outfits and chattering on about being with Michael after learning about the demo deal.

"_This so does not mean that we are back together."_

_Liz had been sitting on her bed, watching her. "Does Michael know that?"_

"_Well, he knows that I'm not interested in having what we used to have. I've been clear about that. It's a… it's a boy-girl friendship with a twist."_

"_It sounds romantic…"_

She slumped back against the low footboard and stared morosely at the ice cream. _What was I thinking?_

"Do you think he's holding back on purpose?"

Maria nodded sadly. "Yeah. He's forgiven me, you know? But he doesn't trust me anymore, like, emotionally. It wasn't easy for him to open up to me and when he did I turned around and destroyed that trust." Her vision blurred and she wished futilely that she could go back and somehow change the past, erase those mistakes. "I don't know if he'll ever be able to trust me again."

"Maria, no, don't say that," Liz said as she moved to sit beside her best friend so she could hug her. "Have you guys ever talked about that?"

"Have you and Max ever talked about things?" Maria countered.

She stuck her tongue out at Maria. "That's definitely one of the negative factors about being a couple trapped in that van day and night with four other people. No privacy kinda means you can't talk or argue or… well, you know…"

Maria laughed when she saw the blush on the brunette's face. "Oh, Liz, I love you, girl," she said as she hugged her.

"Maybe breaking down here happened for a reason, you know?" Liz shrugged. "I don't know. We all needed the break from each other, a little space to give us some perspective and a chance to reconnect with each other. Our relationships are all in need of some help and now we have the opportunity to work on them while we're stranded here." _It was true,_ she thought. _Whether it was their friendships or romantic relationships, they all needed a little something._ She dragged her spoon through the ice cream, creating a deep trench in the center of it. "I just hope we really do get to stay through Christmas before we have to wedge ourselves back into that van and leave again."

"Well," Maria leaned her shoulder against Liz's as she reached for the pint of ice cream, "if Kyle's right about the engine I don't think that'll be a stretch. He's pretty sure it's shot. But we've also got Isabel on our side, and her plan to do this Christmas thing will definitely keep us here through the holiday. And seriously, who's gonna tell her no?"

"True, and there's Julia. She didn't seem to think the van would be repaired before Christmas. Of course, she's a mom and I think she's watching out for us."

Maria nodded. "She's really intuitive, but you're right, she's got that whole mom thing going on. It feels kinda nice to have her fussing over us though, doesn't it?" She sobered as she stared out through the window above the nightstand. "I miss my mom so much, Liz."

Liz shifted to rest her head on Maria's shoulder. "Me too."

"You know, we should have a girls' night while we're here and include Isabel. I know she has Kyle to talk to, but it's not the same."

"Yeah, we should do that. Who knows when we'll get the chance to do that again?"

Silence fell over them as they wondered how much longer they would be together after they left Stevens Sanctuary. There were enough uncertainties in their lives right now without bringing that into the mix. The thought of being separated was too hard to think about and before long they decided to go up to the house and give Julia and Isabel a hand with the cookies.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Michael watched Kyle as he carefully removed the hook from the mouth of the fish he had just pulled up, waiting to see what he was going to do with it. _Here it comes, _he thought when Kyle held the thing so he could look it in the eye. "Put that thing on the ice with the others," he said before it could be released back into the water. _He was going to start chanting over it, praying over it, or contemplating the meaning of life with it any second now._

Edward looked up when he heard the two of them talking and he shook his head. It was the second fish Kyle had pulled in and if he stayed true to form it would be the second one he turned loose. He could hear the annoyance in Michael's voice and honestly, if that fish went back in the water after another speech about the circle of life he was banning Kyle from the ice.

Kyle turned his head to look at the hill where Maggie and Eddie were sledding. Earlier the boys had been fishing side by side when they had gotten into an argument because Brian wanted Eddie to switch spots with him and the younger boy had refused. He had caught several fish while his brother had caught nothing and he didn't want the hole Brian was unsuccessfully fishing.

Edward had settled the fight by asking Eddie to take Maggie to the sledding hill on Mr. Tony's property and to keep an eye on her. Brian had quickly moved, taking the hole Eddie had been fishing from and Max had offered to take his spot. The fish had wasted no time taking the bait for Max and Brian had been confused when he hadn't gotten so much as a nibble of interest.

Kyle glanced at the fish lying on the ice, swallowing hard when he saw the most recent catch flipping around, struggling to breathe. He couldn't do it. He looked at the fish in his hand one more time before crouching down and turning it loose.

"Valenti, I swear, you're tryin' my patience," Michael growled. "Does Buddha not understand the concept of hunger?"

"Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace," he said simply. _His dad hadn't understood him either,_ he mused, remembering the day they had gone fishing and his poor dad had gone off on a rant about the guys not coming over to watch games anymore and how the Buddha thing was getting in the way of him dating. _At least Dad tried to understand later though,_ he thought with a wry smile.

Michael had no idea what that meant and he didn't particularly care.

"I think I'll go see if Eddie wants to switch off an' I'll keep Maggie company on the hill." He smiled and gave Edward a nod as he passed him.

"Your brother-in-law's a strange fella," Edward commented with a quick look at Max.

Max started to correct the older man but suddenly remembered that the family believed his sister was married to Kyle. "Yeah, he's um…"

"He's an idiot," Michael muttered with a shake of his head.

"Uh-huh." Edward glanced up when one of the tip flags raised and he went to pull it in. Beneath the exasperation in Michael's tone was something else that he couldn't quite put his finger on. Fondness? No. _Respect maybe,_ he decided. He had a feeling that if anyone outside of their group called Kyle an idiot they wouldn't get away with it.

Max watched Edward, taking in everything he was doing and committing it to memory in case he ever needed it later on. How many times had he gone fishing with his dad over the years? He smiled at the memory of the first time his dad had taken him fishing when he was seven years old. At the time he hadn't understood what they were doing. All he had known was that what they were doing made his dad happy and he had wanted to be just like the man. He had been so proud the first time he had reeled in a fish and it hadn't mattered that it was just barely large enough to keep. From his dad's reaction anyone who didn't know better would have thought he had just reeled in the largest fish he had ever seen.

The happiness of that memory dissipated as he pictured the last time they had gone out on the lake together. He could still remember the sense of betrayal that had washed over him when he had discovered the board in his dad's office. All he had seen was an investigation into who he was. What he was. And he had immediately gone on the offensive. The man who had raised him, who he had grown up loving and emulating, had suddenly felt like the enemy and he hadn't been able to reconcile that in his head.

At the time he hadn't been able to understand that the secrecy that surrounded him like a cloak had concerned his dad, worried him. He had seen it as nothing more than someone digging around and trying to expose his secrets. He barely saw the large pike he was unhooking as his memory took another turn and he remembered feeling cornered when his mom had questioned him after the fire he had put out in their kitchen. That day in the park when they had sat on the bench and he had offered to leave… he hadn't seen it at the time but he had hurt her so badly.

Both times he hadn't been able to see beyond the questions they were asking, taking their concerns as an attack on him. Now that he was a father he could understand a little better that they had simply been trying to get answers, trying to understand why their own child couldn't come to them with his problems, why he couldn't trust them with whatever was bothering him. They had just been trying to help him, to protect him, and what had he given them in return? More worry, more concerns, more fear for their children… and probably for themselves as well. He wished he could go back, really sit down and talk to them and explain.

He glanced over his shoulder when Michael moved to the next upended flag to pull the line in. He knew Michael fought his own demons on a daily basis and it wasn't fair for him to be shouldering everything. There was a reason why, as king, he'd had a second in command. It was too much responsibility for one person to carry alone and Michael had been stuck doing it because he had turned in his king card and someone had to make the tough decisions.

"I'm not interested, Evans."

His eyebrows lifted at Michael's comment. "What?"

"Whatever you're thinkin' the answer's no."

Max chuckled and shook his head. "Just thinkin' mine's bigger."

Michael just snorted without raising his head. "Not likely." He looked at the perch hanging from the hooks on the line he had just pulled in before glancing at the much larger fish that Max had just unhooked. _Well, of course his kingship would have the larger one. Fish, that is,_ he added with a mental high-five to himself.

"Aww, you caught two little ones!" Maggie said as she crouched down across from Michael. "When we went fishin' last summer me an' Mama caught some perch like yours an' she named them Percy an' Pringle. Can we name yours that? They're almost as big as the ones me an' Mama caught."

Michael cleared his throat. "I thought you were sleddin'?" he asked as he added his catch to the rest.

"It's getting too dark. Kyle just sledded through a bush an' I don't think he wants to do that anymore."

The guys turned to look at Kyle, taking in the scratches on his face and his disgruntled expression.

"What, Buddha doesn't have a sayin' for this one?" Michael questioned with a smirk.

"Yeah, somethin' like 'man who sleds through bush gets berries in hair' or somethin'?" Max asked.

"Buddha and Confucius are not the same. And Confucius never said anything like that."

"Now he's an expert on the fortune cookie king," Michael muttered.

Maggie stood up and reached out to pat Kyle's arm. "Maybe Isabel will kiss an' make it all better. Do ya wanna go back home now?" She walked over to Daddy and tugged on his sleeve. "Daddy, me an' Kyle's gonna go home now, 'kay?"

Edward glanced up at the sky and then back at the path they had taken to get to the lake. He motioned to one of the snowmobiles as he looked at Kyle. "Be careful when you cross over 23 an' tell Julia we won't be far behind."

"I'd just about pay to see Isabel's expression when Maggie makes that suggestion," Max muttered under his breath.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The girls looked up when the back door opened and Maggie and Kyle stepped inside, stomping the snow from their boots. The house was warm and smelled of freshly baked cookies and something else… Kyle sniffed the air and his stomach grumbled in response. _Spaghetti or lasagna,_ he decided and a moment later narrowed it down to lasagna since there was no evidence of spaghetti cooking on the stovetop.

"What happened to you?" Isabel demanded as soon as she saw the scratches on his face.

"Kyle was sledding down the big hill at Mr. Tony's house an' he went right through a bush," Maggie told them. "I never seen anyone do that before."

"Just how many bushes were there?" Isabel asked.

"Oh, it's all by itself an' Mr. Tony puts lights on it at Christmastime so nobody runs into it." She looked up at Isabel when she approached them. "Are you gonna kiss an' make it better for him?"

Kyle's face was red and he couldn't blame all of it on the cold. "It was a really big bush," he explained. He glanced at Julia for a moment. "Edward wanted me to tell you the others aren't far behind. I think they were tryin' to catch a couple more fish before callin' it a night." He nudged Maggie. "Why don't you tell 'em about Michael's catch," he suggested.

The little girl quickly launched into the story and Isabel shook her head when Kyle mouthed an _I'm sorry_ at her. She reached up to tip his chin up to examine the scratches, deciding after a moment that they were superficial.

When the guys traipsed in a while later Kyle was in the living room being waited on while the girls listened to him recounting his life-threatening sledding feat down what had suddenly turned into Martin Mountain. Michael rolled his eyes as he and Max exchanged a look.

"We bring dinner home an' he's the one bein' fawned over," he muttered after a quick glance into the living room.

"Go figure." Max lifted an arm to wave at his wife, smiling when she deserted Kyle in favor of greeting him.

"Alright, we've got fish to clean," Edward said as he shrugged out of his outer gear and put it away. He sent Brian and Eddie upstairs to clean up and he waited to see if one of his guests would offer to help with the fish.

"I'll give you a hand with that," Michael offered when he noticed the green tint to Max's skin. He'd never be able to stomach it and neither would Kyle. "You should probably get cleaned up, Maxwell. Grab some attention before Valenti hogs it all."

Edward walked over to the counter and peeled an edge of the foil back off of the foil pans placed next to each other. He turned when Julia came up behind him and he shook his head at her.

"What? They're going in the fridge for dinner tomorrow night." Her eyes danced with humor when she saw the look on his face. He knew lasagna had been her backup plan in case they had come back empty-handed.

"They'll never last in the fridge."

She made a face at him. "They'll go in the freezer."

Max was proudly showing off the rather large pike he had caught and going on about ice fishing, explaining how it worked when Maria came into the kitchen.

"So, I hear your haul was pretty impressive," she said with a smile as she stretched up to give Michael a kiss.

"Well, they were until I saw that," he said with a nod at the fish Max was showing off.

Maria waved dismissively at Max and his fish. "He's been fishing for what, 12 or 13 years? This was your first time and you caught something… that's pretty impressive if you ask me." She bit back the smile when he straightened up slightly before reaching for the bucket he had set on the floor.

"Yeah, okay, that's true." He pulled the line up to show off his catch and he felt ridiculously pleased at the impressed look on her face. It wasn't like he had gone out and conquered a city or anything but she made him feel like he had done something huge. "I've gotta give Edward a hand cleanin' 'em and then he's got some secret batter he's gonna make so I can cook 'em."

"I'm sure they'll be delicious. Make sure I get one of yours." She had no idea what kind of fish he had caught or what it would even taste like but she didn't care. He was proud of himself and he had an actual smile on his face.


	21. Chapter 21

**Author's Note: **A few lines in this part were borrowed from the Season Two Roswell episode of "A Roswell Christmas Carol".

**Part 21**

"Outta my way, woman," Edward ordered with a smirk.

Michael snorted softly. "Does that actually work?" he muttered under his breath.

"Watch an' learn," the older man said just as quietly. He ignored the roll of his wife's eyes as he gathered the things they needed to get the fish ready for frying.

Julia ushered the others out of the kitchen, giving them room to work. As soon as he and Michael were left alone with the fish he collected a large cutting board and placed it on the counter next to the sink. He motioned to the trash can in the corner as he retrieved a couple of fillet knives. "Grab that trash can an' put it over here."

Michael nodded and placed it on Edward's right side. "What's next?"

"Third cabinet over, grab one of the large bowls an' then we'll get down to business. We're just gonna fillet the fish not actually clean 'em 'cause we're not gonna cook 'em whole." He paused as his gaze moved over the fish. "You know, you fellas oughta have a picture with your catch."

Michael tensed as he reached for the bowl. "No, I don't really do pictures."

Edward took in the taut line of Michael's shoulders, the undercurrent of tension in his voice and he wondered once again what they were running from. It was the only thing that made sense. Not one of them was a day over 20 if they were even that, which he doubted, but he'd bet his bottom dollar that they weren't on a road trip to visit a friend.

"You sure? Max did pull in a 36-inch pike."

"You'd be waitin' an hour while he prettied himself up for a picture… not worth the wait."

"Alright, if you're sure. Shame to let that opportunity pass, but if you'd rather not." He looked up when Julia nudged him out of her way to get to the cabinet in front of him.

"Don't give me that look. Move it over or there won't be any hushpuppies to go with those fish." She got what she needed and then moved over to the table to mix and roll the hushpuppies for dinner.

He nodded when Michael placed the bowl on the counter and he leaned over to lift Max' fish out of the first bucket, holding it up as he ran the edge of the fillet knife along its body without touching it. "Northern pike's a difficult fish to fillet," he explained, "'cause of the y-shaped bone." He glanced at the younger man, nodding when he saw that he was paying close attention and taking in everything he was saying. "You wanna fillet around the y-bone."

Michael stepped closer to him, scrutinizing every move Edward made

"More work, but worth the effort."

He watched the sure movements of the older man's hands, noting his demeanor as he worked. His hands were weathered with several small scars that were barely noticeable. The gold wedding band on his left hand showed wear and it told a story of the work he did to take care of his family. He listened to Edward's voice, noticing the softer tone as he explained every step. _It was the kind of voice he probably used to show one of his sons how to do something,_ he thought. It wasn't a tone he had ever gotten from Hank. He had gotten help from both Max and Kyle's dads in the past but he'd never really had a father figure to show him how to do things. _It was kind of like a father/son type of thing,_ he guessed.

Hank had never showed him anything. Well, anything that didn't benefit him in some way. He supposed that one lesson at the laundry mat on how to operate the washing machine had been a useful thing to know. He could've lived without the cutting words and the rough shove that had given him an up-close view of the dryer door. And then there was learning how to mix drinks. _Yeah, that had been really helpful,_ he thought with an internal snort. _Nothing like having someone decide that your life was going nowhere before you even understood what that meant._

Edward had the life he hadn't even allowed to let himself dream of since Maria had left him and the FBI had tried to kill them. The man was tough but he hadn't seen or heard him being abusive towards his kids… and Julia, the woman had him wrapped around her little finger. _He mentally rolled his eyes. Thank God he was in charge when it came to Maria._

Michael stood back when Edward reached for the next fish and he took it when it was held out to him. It was another pike, not quite as large as the one Max had caught. He nodded when Edward motioned to the cutting board and he went through the process he had just committed to memory. A couple of times he stopped to ask a question and he began to relax under the mellow tone in the older man's voice as he patiently answered his questions and explained different techniques.

"Good job," he said, glancing over Michael's work.

"Thanks." They worked side by side in companionable silence for a while. "So what do you do when you're not doin' resort stuff?" Edward was a little shorter than him with green eyes and brown hair, and he was well muscled from what he was certain was manual labor. He was probably close to 40 and his mustache was graying in places.

"I build vacation homes. Good business up here."

"It's hard work, huh?"

"It's honest work," Edward corrected with a smile, "and most honest work's hard. But at the end of the day it's an accomplished feelin'. You do what you gotta do to make ends meet and take care of your family."

Michael nodded and scratched his chin on his shoulder as he reached for the fish in his bucket. He held the perch up in question. "These little guys are filleted different?"

"Yup." He reached for one of the perch and showed Michael how to fillet the fish, explaining the differences between the two. "You know, the biggest pike I've ever seen off of Lake Tawas was 42 inches. So, your buddy's fish was pretty impressive, but these perch… prime eatin'. I like 'em about eight or nine inches myself. Much larger an' I release 'em."

"Yeah?" He smiled slightly, the man's words making him feel good. Edward wasn't the kind of guy who gave praise lightly so he knew he could take it at face value.

"Um-hmm. Don't get me wrong, the pike's fine for fryin' but the perch are prime tastin'. So, your buddy Max, you an' he been friends long?"

Michael nodded and glanced over at Edward's hands to make sure he was doing it right. For the first time he didn't feel like the questions were designed to gather information, but simply to make conversation.

Once the last of the fillets were rinsed and laid in the bowl Edward washed his hands and set about gathering all-purpose mix, flour and eggs. He had something else that he shoved in his coat pockets before heading out to the patio to cook the fish in the fish fryer. He came back in for the fish a few minutes later and he grinned at Michael. "You're off duty now, Michael."

"You don't need any more help?"

"The batter's a state secret," Julia said with a teasing smile as she joined them. _As if she didn't know what was in that batter after all these years!_

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

As dinner began to wind down Maggie was starting to yawn and even the boys were a little quiet. Edward had just finished telling another of his fish stories and making everyone laugh and their guests seemed to be actually relaxing for once.

"Do you kids have favorite foods for Christmas?" she asked, shaking her head at Edward when he looked at her. She was still certain that their guests would be staying through Christmas and she wanted them to feel at home if they did.

"Anything that's not green bean delight," Michael mumbled as he finished off his fries.

"Hey, don't knock Mom's cookin'," Max said as stacked the last of his French fries into a little pile on his plate.

"I don't like green bean casserole either," Brian spoke up.

"Peach pie," Isabel added with a smile.

Kyle sighed and cut his last hushpuppy in half before taking a bite and chewing as his mind went back to two Christmases ago against his will. He could see Tess coming to the table with a dish and feel his own surprise when he recognized the food.

"_Is that 3-cheese potato gratin?"_

"_With bacon on the bottom. Your favorite."_

_She had gone back to the kitchen and a few moments later he had excused himself to go after her, leaving his dad and Amy talking about old times. Tess had sliced the turkey with a wave of her hand and he had glanced back at the couple in the dining room before looking at her again._

"_Well, so this… this is really, uh… this is really great."_

"_Well, I saw a break in the NFL schedule between the 22__nd__ and 24__th__ of December, so I figured…"_

"_Right. Well, this is the best Christmas dinner we've had in a long time. I mean, two guys living alone. We just never really had the Christmas spirit."_

He had gone years eating Meaty Man dinners or going to the Crashdown… basically ignoring everything that everyone else did over the holidays. And then Tess came into his life and showed him what it could be like to have a warm and loving woman in the house again. His mom had left them, his girlfriend fell for Max Evans… he had gotten used to just getting by and she gave him something more. And then she killed it. She had killed Alex and used him to get rid of his body. It would've been better to have not had that Christmas.

"What about you, Kyle?" Julia asked when she noticed the faraway look in his eyes.

Isabel reached over and rested her hand over his clenched fist. She knew where his thoughts were and it was just one more reason to hate Tess.

He glanced up at the unexpected contact and his eyebrows shot up at the soft smile on her face. _Okay, that was a little odd._ "I don't really have a favorite. I'm good with whatever. Maybe not fruitcake… I hate fruitcake. We got three of 'em one year an' we used 'em for doorstops." He made a face. "I noticed Big Dave keeps it in stock."

"Oh, I can't wait to start working on the Christmas plans with Dayna," Isabel started, her voice excited. "And Kyle, you'll help too, won't you?" It wasn't really a question and she didn't wait for an answer. She smiled as she looked at Julia. "Kyle's the best."

Kyle glanced at Maria and Liz, shrugging his shoulders and lifting his eyebrows in question. They shook their heads as they shot a glance at their guys. The hybrids all seemed to be a little mellowed out, which was especially curious in Michael's case.

"So, no favorite food for Christmas, Michael?" Edward asked curiously.

Michael shrugged and glanced at Maggie. "What about you, Princess Maggie? Got any favorite Christmas foods?"

The little girl nodded. "Sometimes Mama makes turkey an' dressin'." She made a face at the thought of Mama's dressing. "I like the mashed taters an' the candy yams with marshmallows… an' there's rolls an' butter an' fudge an' Christmas cookies for dessert." She paused to take a breath. "Oh, an' Aunt Connie makes green jello with cottage cheese, pecans an' candy cherries."

Edward watched Michael, noting the way he didn't talk about home. None of them did really, other than the occasional brief mention, but the emotional distance showed on his face for just a moment as each of them talked about their favorite foods. He hadn't had an easy childhood, but he suspected that Michael's had been even worse.

Maggie yawned again and Julia could see that in spite of the conversation she was losing the battle to stay awake. She glanced at the clock, noting the time before she announced, "Dinner was wonderful, guys, but it's been a long day for you fishermen and for the Princess." She smiled at her husband when the others complimented the fish dinner and as soon as it came out that it was "the best fish they'd ever eaten" Edward's chest puffed up with pride.

He gave his wife a small smile. "Has to be the secret batter," he said with a wink at his wife.

Julia just rolled her eyes at him. "Some secret batter," she teased. "They have it in most of the restaurants here."

Isabel leaned forward, her voice lowering to a conspiratorial whisper. "Care to share the secret?"

Brian and Eddie looked at each other and laughed. "Whatever beer Dad's drinkin' at the time."

Maria, Liz and Kyle exchanged similar looks of shock. _Well, that certainly explained why their hybrids were suddenly so relaxed._

Michael shot a glance at Maria. He leaned in to whisper, "I'm fine. Beer cooks off." Obviously beer had no effect on him. "How much do you add to the batter?" he asked with interest.

Edward just grinned and shook his head. "That's actually a common misconception. Only some of the beer cooks off. As for how much beer I use, that depends on how much fish there is to fry. For the family, oh, 'bout half a beer. For this crew I made twice the batter so I used a whole bottle…" he winked at his wife, "and maybe just a bit more."

Kyle glanced at Isabel, smirking at her as she hummed under her breath and moved the last few fries on her plate into some sort of design.

Maria was watching Michael, taking in his relaxed posture and the body language that was more open than it normally was.

Liz smiled at Max when she looked up and caught his shining eyes. Yeah, she recognized that look; he was drunk.

Kyle stood up and stretched as he faked a yawn. He rested a hand on Isabel's shoulder to get her attention. "You about ready to head back to our place? Maggie's lookin' about how us fishermen feel so I think we should get goin'." He nodded at the smile that lit up her features as she looked up at him and he bit back the grin that wanted to surface. _Oh, yeah, Isabel Evans was plastered._

"We should help with the dishes first," Liz said, wondering if Max could keep from doing something that would give them away if they didn't leave right away.

Julia smiled at her guests as she shook her head. They were visibly worn out from their day outdoors and they had pitched in to help plenty. "No worries, I've got this." She glanced at her daughter. "Maggie, go on upstairs and get your pjs on."

"Aww, Mama, can Michael read me a story?"

Maria studied Michael's demeanor, remembering the commotion at the New Year's Eve party the year before while they had been looking for clues in their search for Enigma. His senses had been seriously out of whack and he hadn't been subtle at all. She made a face at him when he pinned her with his patented 'I'm fine' look.

"Sure," he said before she could speak up, "if it's alright with your mom an' dad."

That right there was more than enough to tell Maria that he was affected.

"Oh, can he, Mama?" Maggie asked.

Michael gave her a huge smile, showing off his teeth for the first time in months as he whispered loudly. "May I…"

Maggie frowned for a moment before her face lit up. "May he, Mama?" The little girl perked up as she slid out of her chair to hurry upstairs.

"Maggie Stevens, do not run up the stairs."

"I won't, Mama."

Edward noted the nervous looks shooting back and forth between Liz, Maria and Kyle and his curiosity went right back on alert. _Just what was going on?_ He glanced at Julia, wondering if she was seeing what he was seeing as she regaled Isabel with some past Christmas story.

Liz stood up and took Max by the hand, earning her another soft-eyed look. "I'll go get our coats. Stay here, okay?

"Stay here," he echoed obediently.

Kyle's gaze left the other couples and shot to Isabel when she suddenly started laughing about whatever Julia had been talking about. He had hung out with one drunk hybrid but he had been slightly inebriated himself so that wasn't gonna help him much. He really wasn't sure how to approach Isabel in this state so he followed Liz and grabbed her coat, coming up behind Isabel and nudging her. "C'mon, honey, I think it's time for us to call it a night," he said as he held it up for her.

Maria kept a close eye on Michael once the others had left the house, going down to their cabins and getting Max and Isabel a safe distance from the family in case they did something alien. Thanks to Michael's big mouth they were stuck until after story time and she only hope that he wouldn't do anything or start acting weird. It felt like it had been hours since Maggie had gone upstairs and in reality it had only been a few minutes.

"Would it be alright if we go and check on Maggie?" she asked as Julia put the last dish in the dishwasher.

"Sure. Maggie's usually in her pjs and finished with brushing her teeth pretty quickly."

Maria stood up. "C'mon, Spa…" She ignored his puzzled look when she caught herself and she took him by the hand, leading him to the stairs and placing his hand on the rail.

Michael half-slapped her hand away with a grin. "I know how to climb stairs."

She noticed how quiet it was as soon as they reached the landing and followed the light that spilled out into the hallway. She reached the little girl's room just before Michael and she stepped inside, motioning for him to join her when she saw Maggie curled up in bed. Her eyes wandered around the bedroom, taking in the lavender walls with a white ceiling that was speckled with little stars.

The bed was a white princess canopy that was old but well-cared for and on the matching dresser was a blue dome light with yellow stars that reflected on the walls and ceiling when turned on. Beside it several My Little Ponies were lined up, probably her favorite ones judging by the care taken with them. A lavender comforter was folded at the end of the twin-size bed and the Captain's princess was lying just under the sheet and blanket with a book under her relaxed hand. Her little chest rose and fell with every sweet breath she took and beside her other hand sat Miss Cindy.

She made a grab for Michael when he crept up to Maggie, but she missed him. "Michael, don't wake her up," she whispered.

He shushed her and motioned for her to come over to the bed, pointing at the covers. He leaned over and gently lifted the little girl up so Maria could cover her with the blankets and the comforter. Maggie's head rolled to the side and she looked at Michael as she stirred.

"My captain," she mumbled sleepily before falling asleep once more.

Michael stood up and wrapped an arm around Maria, turning her toward the door so that they could leave. He turned the light off and his eyes were drawn upward to the glow-in-the-dark stars there.

"C'mon, Spaceboy," Maria whispered, leading him out of the room.


	22. Chapter 22

**Author's Note: **A few lines in this part were borrowed from the Season Three Roswell episode Control.

**Part 22**

The snowy path to the cabins had been difficult enough to traverse earlier that day when the hybrids had been stone cold sober. The wind wasn't helping, the occasional gust of wind easily nudging them off of their course until Liz or Kyle reached out to steer them in the right direction again. The night was silent with the exception of the snow crunching underfoot, the sky a light whitish-grey with a full moon that lit their path.

"'m not as drunk as I was last time, Liz," Max said, giving her that goofy punch-drunk smile that she recognized from the last time he'd been drunk. "Thee, my tongue'th not as numb thith time…" The words were mumbled as he attempted to feel his tongue with his gloved hand.

Liz smacked his hand away, earning her a frown as he repeated the gesture. "Fine, you have no idea where that glove's been, but stick it in your mouth."

He seemed to consider what she had said, but after a moment he shrugged and continued. "Lith, can you feel my tongue?"

Kyle rolled his eyes and shifted his weight to keep Isabel going in the right direction. "You know, this was a lot more fun when I was trashed with him." He stretched to shoot a look at Liz. "Who would've thought back when we were datin' the summer before our sophomore year that six months after graduation we'd be on the run from the FBI an' luggin' two plastered aliens around in nearly two feet of snow in the frozen wilds of Michigan?"

"Um-hmm, plastered on beer battered fish."

"I know! Remember that summer when I finally convinced you to go to a party? Even you had a few sips and it didn't even phase you." He snorted. "Yeah, hear that? Your wife can out-drink you, Evans."

Max just shook his head and grinned. "Least she's never seen me barf after a beer blast."

"That's gross, Kyle," Isabel mumbled. "You better not do that tonight."

"What?" He glared at Liz. "You told him about that?" He glanced at Isabel. "Keep it up an' you're gonna be on the couch."

"Max just happened to mention it and I simply… concurred. Besides, you're the one who announced to an entire crowd the night of that stupid blind date contest that you were gonna go puke."

Isabel wasn't following the conversation, stuck on the last thing Kyle had said to her. "Only one of us is short enough to fit on the loveseat… and it's not me," she said, lifting her head imperiously. She ruined it a moment later when she started giggling and collapsed against his shoulder. Her voice was muffled as she said, "Kyle has Mickey Mouse sheets."

Liz pinched her lips between her teeth to keep from laughing at him.

Max started humming and he pushed his wife's hand away when he opened his mouth and she tried to cover it to keep him from belting out his song. "M-I-C… K-E-Y…"

"M-O-U-S-E," Isabel joined in.

"Well, it's been real an' it's been fun," Kyle muttered with a glance at Liz when they reached the path that led up to the honeymoon cabin, "but it hasn't been real fun. We'll see you guys in the mornin'."

Liz smiled and nudged Max to the right. "G'night, Kyle."

"G'night, Kyle," Max repeated in a sing-song voice.

Liz let go of Max so she could focus her attention on getting the key in the lock but a moment later the light she had been using changed from white to green and she looked around in confusion. Her eyes widened when she saw the light bulb Max was proudly eyeing and she hurried to shove the door open and slap the light switch for the porch light. She shook her head at him when he looked at her with a frown.

"Don't do that, Max!"

"You don't like green? It's for Christmas." He reached out to the bulb again. "Want me to make it red?"

"No, I want you to make it normal like it was before."

"Normal," he mused as his outstretched hand hovered over the bulb for just a moment. "I think normal's nice."

Liz sighed in relief when his hand came away to reveal a plain old white bulb once more. "C'mon inside, it's cold out there."

He obediently walked into the cabin but he got away from her again, wandering off while she was locking the door. She made a face at the little rectangular bits of snow he was leaving all over the place as they fell from the treads on the bottom of his boots. He finally stopped in the center of the room, his gaze thoughtful as it moved over the furniture and the wall decorations.

_What was he thinking?_ she wondered. It had been a long day and spending it with the Stevens family and then going fishing with Edward and the boys had probably brought up memories of his parents. She knew it had for her and Maria. _Kyle and Maria were both gonna have their hands full tonight,_ she thought.

"My parents used to be proud of me," he said finally, his voice low.

"They're proud of you, Max."

He shook his head. How can they be proud of me when they don't even know me? There were so many times that Isabel wanted to tell them. She trusted them that much but every time I said no… reminded her that they weren't our real parents. It was understandable for Michael to throw that in her face; he had only known Hank so his distrust and suspicion made sense, but I grew up with them, I knew them. They took me and Isabel in and raised us like we were their own, they loved us unconditionally, and I couldn't let them in."

Max stared at the wall as he went over the last year and everything that had happened. It was funny… his mind was fuzzy, but at the same time his memory had never been more clear. "When things were fallin' apart Isabel told them about Tess, that I had gotten her pregnant. All it did was make them suspicious of her. They probably thought she was just tryin' to protect me." He crossed his arms over his chest. "When she came back with Zan," he swallowed hard, "with my son, and I held him in my arms…"

Her stomach twisted nauseatingly when one of the subjects she preferred to avoid suddenly reared up before her. She forced the feelings down, knowing that as much as she hated dealing with them he usually buried his feelings about them because he knew it bothered her.

His eyes misted at the memory and he glanced at her. "Sorry, I know you don't like to talk about them."

"No, go ahead."

He watched her for a moment, his eyes seeming to see right through her. "I wanted to hold onto him and never let him go but I knew I couldn't. He wouldn't have been safe with me. At least with another family he has a chance at a normal life. You wonder sometimes, ya know? What kinda people just give their kids up… but sometimes there's no other choice."

"Everything's a choice, Max. The options may not be that great but it's still a choice."

He shrugged. "If the FBI hadn't come after us and I'd kept him…"

She held her breath, scared that he was going to voice one of the questions she didn't want to think about much less answer. _Would they still be together? Could she have looked past the fact that Tess was Zan's mother?_ She wanted to think she was above that kind of behavior, but the truth was she didn't know if she could've dealt with seeing the little boy every day and being reminded constantly that Max had been with Tess. It didn't matter that she and Max had been broken up at the time. It wasn't like he had cheated on her but it didn't change the way she had felt when she had seen them together or when he had told her about sleeping with Tess."

"My parents would've supported my decision if I'd kept him and they would've loved him just as unconditionally as they loved us. And now they'll never know their grandson and he'll never get to know his grandparents."

She could hear the pain in his voice when he talked about his son and she wished there was some way to make it better for him.

"I would've taught him all kinds of stuff," he said with a sad smile. "I'd have taken him out on the same lake where my dad taught me to fish… my dad would've been there too." He looked down when Liz took his hands to pull his gloves off. "He would've loved that."

"I'm sure he would've," she agreed as she unsnapped the snaps and worked the coat over his arms.

Max draped his right arm over her shoulders. "Ya know, Isabel hated campin' when we were kids."

"Shocking." Liz rolled her eyes as he revealed that not-so-well-kept secret. "Here, why don't you sit down so we can get your boots off?"

"Okay." He grinned but continued on past the couch she was trying to guide him to, heading into the bedroom instead and sitting on the edge of the bed.

She shook her head at him and gave him a shove, pushing him over onto his back. He stared at the ceiling while she unlaced his boots and set them aside.

"I think the last time I was drunk was more fun," he mumbled through a yawn. He laughed quietly. "I beat Kyle when we raced."

"You and Kyle raced against each other?"

"Um-hmm." He smiled as he remembered Kyle looking up at him, trying to figure out how he'd gotten on top of that building without a ladder. "I beat him."

She couldn't stop the smile at the smug undertone in his sleepy voice. She was grateful when she started rearranging his limbs and he shifted around cooperatively to help her out.

"Hey, Liz?"

She braced her hands on either side of his body as she looked down at him. "Yes?"

"This'll never be normal, huh?" he said quietly.

"What's so great about normal anyway?" she asked even though they both knew the answer.

He reached up to cradle her cheek in his hand and his eyes were startlingly clear when he spoke again. "I'd give you normal if I could."

"We'll find our version of normal one day, Max. Until then we'll just take it as it comes and hope for the best."

"I love you." He took her hand and tumbled her down to lie next to him. He stared at their intertwined hands, his eyes locked on their wedding rings. "I always have," he whispered as his eyes slid closed.

Liz smiled and stretched up to kiss him. "I love you too, Max." Her fingers traced over his sleeping features and she hoped he would sleep peacefully tonight.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Kyle wondered if Liz was having this much trouble with Max as he did his best to corral Isabel one more time. It reminded him of the time his parents had taken him to the county fair when he was a little kid and he had participated in the greased pig contest. _Maybe he wouldn't share that little thought with her,_ he decided. She wasn't _that_ happy. He breathed a sigh of relief when he turned her loose inside the cabin. At least now she was contained within four walls.

He got her out of her coat and shrugged out of his own, hanging them up before getting a glass of water and leaning against the kitchen counter as he watched her wander around. She was tapping her chin thoughtfully as she studied the room, taking in the furnishings and making a face at them. He suddenly remembered the prank he had set up earlier and he walked into the bathroom, reaching up to catch the clown when it swung down from the ceiling where he had suspended it. He released the string he had attached it to and wrapped it around the clown, hiding it under his arm as he snuck into his room to hide it.

He walked back into the living area and his mouth dropped open as he glanced around at the changes Isabel had made. The room looked surprisingly like the living room in her childhood home… and nothing like the home she had shared with Jesse for a short time. He took in her appearance as she stood in their newly remodeled living room. She was as beautiful as ever, her long blonde hair falling perfectly over her shoulders. He glanced down at her feet, noticing the trail of melting snow left in her wake.

She was tapping her chin as she glanced around. "Something's still missing." Her gaze fell on the empty spot next to the fireplace that had taken the place of the wall furnace.

"It's not the little water trail you've tracked all over the place," Kyle said.

She basically ignored him as the proverbial light bulb came on. "The Christmas tree," she said suddenly. "Mom and Dad would have ours up by now. There'd be a wreath on the front door…" she moved to the fireplace and brushed her fingers over the mantle. "The mantle would be decorated with lights and fresh garland and there would be candles lit. Oh, and stockings! There would be stockings hanging from the mantle too."

Kyle kicked his boots off by the door and went to get a towel from the closet. He followed her around, mopping up the wet spots. "Here, you should take your boots off."

A wide smile graced her features as she whirled to look at him, grabbing onto his arm when the room spun crazily. "Who's up for getting a tree tonight?"

"Oh, no," he said, drawing the words out when he saw the manic gleam overshadow her buzz-bright eyes.

"Oh, c'mon, Kyle, we've already got our boots on an' everything!"

Kyle made a futile wish for a cell phone. _Cell phone, house phone, bat phone… whatever._ He could call Max for help. _Yeah, that'd be a big help. Talk about your happy hybrids._ He went into his room and grabbed a pair of socks, unrolling them as he walked back into the living room. "Tell ya what," he said, deciding to negotiate with his own happy hybrid. "How about we look for a tree in the mornin', huh? Tonight we can make our stocking and hang them over the fireplace." _The fireplace that would have to cease to exist when morning came,_ he added silently. _There was no reason to take the moment away from her tonight._

Isabel stared at the socks dangling from his hands as he held them up, hoping to entice her to see things his way. All she could see was Jesse's ugly brown stocking that she had tried to hide on the backside of their tree. While they had been with the Stevens' earlier and even the night before she could only think of home and how much she missed her mom and dad. They had accepted her, helped and loved her. Home… it wasn't the house she had shared with Jesse. She looked down at the rings on her left hand and her vision blurred with tears.

"Hey, you okay?" he asked as he tossed the socks on the coffee table.

She swallowed hard and shook her head as she tried in vain to make out the design on her rings. Her thoughts took her back to the day she had gone to Max and Michael to ask permission from them to tell Jesse the truth, to let him in on the big secret. _Why had she gone to them? Had Max asked their permission before he blew their cover with Liz? Had Michael ever asked anyone's permission for… for anything?_ She knew why she had gone to them and she pushed that thought away, not wanting to face it.

Her mom and dad had viewed her marriage as a mistake and they had almost not attended. How was it everyone around her had seen it? Everyone but her? _You did know,_ her mind whispered and she tried to silence that quiet voice. Unwillingly her mind diverted to the conversation with her mom as she twisted the rings on her finger.

"_Don't. Please don't try to defend yourself. I ran into Wendy today and she told me that a spot opened up at Emden Pond, which I specifically said that I wanted, and you told her no. And then you go and tell Max, knowing full well that he won't approve. God, Mom, you're acting like you don't want this wedding to happen."_

_Her mom had shocked her with her response._

"_Maybe I don't. I thought if I could just slow things down that maybe you'd come to your senses."_

"_Why?"_

"_Because you're making a mistake, Isabel."_

"_A mistake? I love him."_

"_Then date him. Get to know him. You don't have to marry him, Isabel. Not like this. Not in six months. For God's sake, Isabel."_

Isabel squeezed her eyes shut. "Who gets married in six months at 18," she muttered. "Alex…" she looked around, lost. "How is it that we didn't get to have Christmas together?"

Kyle heard the barely whispered word, sensed the shift in her emotions and he knew where she was going. "Hey, c'mere, let's get out of those boots and go sit in front of the fireplace."

She wasn't even paying attention as he took her arm to guide her over to the loveseat, barely aware of it when he knelt before her to remove her boots. Her mind was already back on the conversation she'd had with her mom about her pending nuptials.

"_It hasn't even been a year since Alex. You graduated from high school without a firm plan for your future. I mean, your brother – look what's happening with Max. We don't know. Your whole world has been torn apart. It only makes sense that you would grab hold of the first stable thing that came along."_

"_No! That is not what he is to me."_

She nearly knocked Kyle over when she shot to her feet and started to pace around, her steps agitated. "What kind of person am I, Kyle? My mom and dad saw it, Michael and Max saw it… and Jesse, look what he's had to do for me. I love him, he's a great guy…" She trailed off, biting her bottom lip to hold the rest of the words in.

"But you're not in love with him," Kyle said slowly, giving voice to her thoughts. "Isabel, look, you're buzzin' pretty good right now and you can't rely on what you're sayin'. Look at Max, he got up on stage and kissed Liz right there in front of all of Roswell radio and half the town." He made a face. "Okay, maybe not the best of analogies."

"I'm so tired, Kyle," she said as she looked around, her heart heavy.

He watched her for a minute, picking up on every nuance in her voice. She was tired. But not just from a busy day. She was tired of running from her past, running from her thoughts, and running for her life. "C'mon, Iz, you'll feel better after you've had some sleep." He took her hand and led her into her room, gnawing on his bottom lip as he glanced around. "You um, you probably wanna change into somethin' more comfortable to sleep in."

She shook her head and weaved slightly as she made her way over to the bed and flopped down.

"No, no, no, no, no," he said, trying to catch her when she started to lie down. He sighed when she deftly avoided him and made herself comfortable on top of the blankets. "You know you're on top of the blankets and it's gonna get cold in here the later it gets, right?"

"You won't let me get cold," she murmured sleepily. "You always watch out for me, Kyle."

"That's me, Mr. Reliable." He hooked his thumb over his shoulder. "I'm gonna go grab a blanket for you." He ran into his room and snatched up his blanket before checking the front door one more time to make sure it was locked. He turned the lights out before going back to Isabel and unfolding the blanket, shaking it out and spreading it over her.

Isabel caught his hand when he leaned over and whispered a good night. "'s your blanket, Kyle."

He smiled at her slurred voice. "Yeah, Mickey didn't want you to be cold."

"Hate bein' alone."

"Yeah, that makes two of us." He looked down at her hand, wrapped securely in his and he glanced back at his lonely room. Neither of them wanted to be alone and it would be freezing in his room by morning. Not to mention the thought of sleeping on the loveseat or the bunk bed wasn't all that appealing. "Shove over, Evans."

She laughed quietly and shuffled over, making room for him. He settled in next to her and before long she gravitated towards his warmth, seeking out the comfort of his embrace.

Kyle's arms came around her in a loose hold as she settled against his side and he smiled when he heard her sigh easily for the first time that night. He grabbed the corner of the blanket and pulled it up higher over them.

"Don't ever leave me."

"Never," he promised as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head and stared up at the ceiling in the near dark. "I could never do that, Isabel."

"Thanks for bein' my best friend, Kyle." She shifted to get comfortable and she closed her eyes as her mind once more retreated to that conversation with her mom. "I wanna go home," she whispered as she rested her head on his chest.

Her breathing began to even out into the gentle rhythm of sleep and he wished there was a way he could give that to her.


	23. Chapter 23

**Part 23**

Maria kept a tight hold on Michael, practically wedging him between her and the wall as they walked back downstairs. He seemed to be particularly amused by her behavior and he was feeling no pain as he once more assured her that he was fine. That had become his mantra since they had discovered what was in Edward's secret batter recipe. And she could tell that he honestly believed it; he was certain that there wasn't a thing wrong with him and that he was stone cold sober.

As soon as they reached the first floor he got away from her, shaking his head at her assumption that he was under the influence of what… a beer? Not even that since most of it would've cooked off. He wandered into the kitchen feeling good and glancing around to see what he could do to help.

Edward was nowhere to be seen but Julia was at the sink washing dishes and Maria nearly had a heart attack when he made his way over to her, grabbing a dishtowel and a plate from the drain.

"Here, lemme help." He glanced at Maria with another 'I'm fine' look. He dried the dishes and carefully stacked them on the counter one by one, reaching for each new dish as Julia placed it in the drain.

"Something tells me you didn't get to read Maggie a story," she said as she rinsed off a pot before handing it to him.

"She was down for the count when we got there," Michael answered. "Miss Cindy was keepin' watch over 'er."

Maria kept an eye on Michael as he spouted off bits of information in a manner that was just sooo not Michael.

Julia turned around to check and see if there were any dirty dishes or pots and pans that had escaped her notice the first time around. "Did she have 'Santa Bear's First Christmas' book out?"

Michael's mind went over everything he saw as he repositioned Maggie to tuck her in. "Is that the one with Santa on the front with a polar bear an' a little girl?" he asked with a grin.

Julia dried her hands off on a hand towel and turned to face her guest with a thoughtful expression on her face. "That's the book," she said with a warm smile. "It's her favorite Christmas story all about a polar bear that's accidentally separated from his family." She folded the towel over and hung it on the oven handle. "We're a close-knit community here; everyone knows everyone. When Tony found out she was having nightmares about polar bears, the same year the boys bought her Cindy, he came over to the house on Christmas Eve dressed as Santa to give her the book."

"Aww, that's sweet," Maria said, her eyes on Michael when he finished drying the last pan and set it aside. Her eyes widened when he moved to lean up against the counter and the hand he stretched out to brace his weight on slipped when he missed the counter altogether.

Maria could feel her nerves stretching thinner with every minute that passed. "Is there anything I can do to help you finish the kitchen, Julia?" she asked as she reached for an unopened bottle of soda on the counter next to Michael. "Maybe put this away?"

"Oh, you can leave that out. I'll drink it after we're all finished up in here."

Michael rolled his eyes at Maria and handed her the pan he had been drying, motioning to the table when she just looked at him. He could see how badly she wanted to roll her eyes at him but for whatever reason she held back and carried the pan to the table instead.

Maria reminded herself of her manners as she set the pan down and turned to observe Michael once more. She was just waiting for the jagged flashes of electricity to start rolling off of him at any minute.

"So, that's kinda cool about Mr. Tony," Michael said, keeping the conversation ball rolling when it was obvious that Maria was ready to leave. He had no idea why she was in such a hurry.

"Oh, he was a lovely man," Julia continued. "It's been hard on everyone without him here this year." She smiled at Michael. "Last week she asked me to read it to her and when I got the book out she cried." Her heart constricted at the memory. "It was good of you to be willing to read it to her. All she talks about is how you're gonna get her picture to Santa."

"Which brings us to Maggie believin' you know Santa," Edward spoke up from the doorway.

Maria nearly jumped out of her skin, so on edge worrying about what Michael might do or say that she had never heard the man come up behind her. She glanced at Michael when his lazy gaze shot to Edward and she could see the surprise in his eyes as he tried to figure out where the man had come from and why he hadn't noticed his approach.

Michael's expression was completely clueless in the wake of Edward's statement.

Maria cringed at his response. He might just as well have added a 'huh?' in there for good measure.

"Edward," Julia stepped in, attempting to derail her husband.

Edward shot a dismissive glance in his wife's direction before continuing. "Maggie doesn't fully understand Tony's absence. It's been hard on her so please don't promise her anything that you won't be here for."

Michael jerked when something behind him popped and the soda erupted all over the counter. He grabbed the dishtowel he had been using to mop up the soda that was still foaming as it spread across the counter.

"Michael, it's been a long day," Maria said as he rinsed the towel out in the sink. "We should really go." _Preferably before a large, flashing neon sign that reads 'alien' starts flashing over your head._ "I think that cold medicine you took's really hit you all wrong."

Edward was watching them as they got into their coats, Maria smacking Michael's hands away when he made a fumbling attempt to snap his coat closed, succeeding in doing two of the snaps up wrong before she caught him.

Maria paused, one hand on the doorknob, her right arm around Michael and her fingers clenched around the pocket of the coat to hold him still. "We would never do anything to hurt Maggie," she said, her tone quiet and sincere. "Or anyone else for that matter."

He shook his head after they had said their goodnights and headed out the door. "Ya know, if I didn't know better I'd swear that boy's drunk," he said with a glance at his wife.

Julia rolled her eyes. "Edward, some people have a really low tolerance for cough medicine."

"Um-hmm," he murmured as he moved to the window to watch the couple make their way down to the cabins, Maria doing her best to support Michael as they clumsily tromped through the snow.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"You wouldn't see anything like this in Roswell," Michael commented as they followed the deep footprints left by their friends.

Maria glanced up at the snow that was already falling again and then around at the miles of white fields surrounding them. "No, you wouldn't." The rare occasion when snow had fallen on their hometown it hadn't been anything like this. _Well, at least if he started exhibiting symptoms like he had last year on New Years' Eve, feeling like he was on fire, there was plenty of cold snow around to put out the 'fire'._ She was pulled out of her thoughts when he somehow tripped over the snow or his feet and he pitched forward, his arm around her shoulders ensuring that she went face first into the white stuff with him.

Michael laughed when she bolted up out of the snow as fast as she could get her feet under her and he wasn't terribly cooperative when she tried to pull him up.

"C'mon, Michael, it's cold out here… we've got hot chocolate and a fireplace waitin' for us." She rolled her eyes when he suddenly got to his feet and slung his arm around her shoulders and as she turned them back towards the path she noticed the figure standing at the window up at the house. "Just for the record, our preapproved lie for your behavior tonight is that you have a cold and you took some of my cold medicine. Possibly the whole bottle," she muttered under her breath.

"Why would I take cold medicine when I don't catch colds?" he asked, the question logical and delivered with a serious expression.

She stared at him for a moment before shaking her head. "Nevermind, we'll talk about it when you're not all…" she waved her free hand over him, "happy."

They finally reached the front door of their cabin and before she could even attempt to locate the key he pressed his hand over the old lock and the tumbler gave a squeaky protest as it turned. He stepped inside, pausing on the threshold to glance around.

Even in his slightly inebriated state his first thought was for her safety, she thought as she watched him. As soon as he determined that things were as they had left them he made a beeline for the fireplace, crouching down to add wood and arranging it to his satisfaction before waving his hand over it and getting the fire going. He stood up slowly, his gaze moving over the two scented candles on the mantle.

Maria shivered slightly as she closed the door that he had overlooked, already feeling frozen from her dip in the snow and the walk from the house. His expression caught her attention and she smiled when he suddenly grinned.

"Look what I can do," he said and snapped his fingers. The wick on each candle burst to life, the tips burning brightly with dancing flames.

"That's impressive," she agreed.

"I know." His tone was smug as he rubbed his fingertips over his chest.

Maria shrugged out of her coat and took her boots off, hurrying across the room to the fireplace to hold her hands out to warm them. "Michael, you should get out of your boots and coat. Here," she turned to him, "let me help you."

He stood there quietly and allowed her to unsnap his coat, his brown eyes tracking every nuance of her features in the firelight. Her blonde hair shimmered in the flickering light, her emerald green eyes sparkled, and the sheen of something red covered her full, pouty lips reminding him of candy apples at a carnival. He could feel the familiar tug of want and need inside of him as he reached out to cradle her cheek, his thumb brushing over her lips.

He wasn't expecting the flash when it hit him out of nowhere. A short burst of moments in time, feelings and emotions that gave him more insight into her than he'd had in way too long. _That moment just after they had tucked Maggie into bed when her heart had felt full enough to burst. The look in her eyes when he showed off his prize catch. The weight of regret for the distance between them. The moment their first night in the cabin when she had stood up in the bathtub… water running over her body that was perfect in his eyes and the feeling of disappointment later after she'd calmed down from the mouse attack and she'd realized that she had been naked in front of him and he'd walked away from her._ "What color is it?" he asked huskily, his eyes locked on her lips.

"Candy apple red," she answered with a look up at him. It was something he would probably never even notice or ask sober. She recognized the look in his dark eyes and she took his hand, leading him over to one of the chairs. "Okay, Spaceboy, time for you to sit down."

He stilled her hands when she reached for the laces on his boots, tugging her up and nudging her to the side to sit on the arm of his chair. "We need to get you warmed up," he said as he leaned over to unlace his boots. He got up and carried his boots over to the front door, dropping them on the rug next to it. "Wanna take a hot bath?"

His mind was not on just a simple bath. It would be so easy to take what he was offering, to push everything else aside and just for tonight be together. But what would tomorrow morning bring? Doubts? Regrets? Would he even remember it? She shook her head. It didn't matter if he remembered it the next morning or not, there was too much at stake to risk for one night of passion.

"No, I'm too tired for that now," she said with a shake of her head. "Why don't I make us some hot chocolate instead?"

He didn't respond, walking over to the bed and grabbing a blanket off of the end. As he jerked it up it disturbed the air and caused a paper on the nightstand to slide a couple of inches closer to the edge. He braced one hand on the mattress and leaned over to grab the paper, holding onto it as he walked back over to Maria.

Michael shook the blanket out and wrapped it around her shoulders before gently pushing her down into one of the overstuffed chairs. "I can make the hot chocolate." He handed her the piece of paper. "Keep this safe for Santa?" he asked as he handed it to her.

Maria accepted the paper, watching him walk into the kitchen and wondering how safe it was to turn him loose around appliances. When nothing immediately exploded she glanced down at the paper, carefully unfolding it and smoothing out the creases that ran vertically and horizontally through the center of the picture. Recognizing it, she turned it to the correct angle to get the perspective necessary to see the yellow dog Maggie had hand-drawn on the paper for Michael.

She snorted softly. "Maggie's adorable and so's the picture of the puppy she wants for Christmas." She looked up at him, silently observing him as he watched the timer ticking down on the microwave. "You're wonderful with her, Michael. You know that."

The little chime rang, indicating that it had fulfilled its duty and he pulled the door open and pulled out the two mugs of steaming hot water. He added the instant cocoa mix to the mugs and stirred it as he smiled. "She makes it easy." He glanced around for the bottle of Tabasco sauce he had seen her pick up earlier that day at Big Dave's, locating it near the stove. He unscrewed the cap and poured a liberal amount into his mug, stirring it again before carrying both of them over to her.

He leaned against the back of her chair, handing her the Winnie the Pooh mug and keeping Tabasco Tigger for himself. He reached for the picture she held, his fingers brushing against hers in a slow caress as he took possession of it. "That little girl's a fighter," he said with a touch of pride in his tone. "Reminds me of someone."

Maria shivered when his breath ghosted across the exposed skin of her neck. "Yeah, she is that," she said, trying to distract herself. Not an easy thing to do when he was so close and so… open. "The Stevens have a lovely family home," she said.

"Yeah, they do." Michael shuffled around the side of her chair to drop down in the one next to her, stretching his long legs out in front of him as he stared into the fire.

Maria turned to look at him, noting the thoughtful look on his face. She could see him trying to formulate a thought into words as he watched the flames dancing merrily in the fireplace.

"Hey, Maria?"

"Um-hmm?"

"I was wonderin'… do you see me in a family like that one day? I mean, like Edward has… he's a good dad an' a husband." He shrugged one shoulder and took a gulp of his hot chocolate. "Whatever."

"Yeah, of course! Michael, you're so good with kids! I saw it last Christmas, and it wasn't just me. Liz and Isabel saw it too." His jaw tightened as he contemplated her answer and she could see the thought starting to form… the thought that he was unfit to be in anyone's family. "No, Michael, don't go there. You're nothing like Hank." She took a long drink of her hot chocolate and waited.

His lips thinned for a moment. "He's not the one I was thinkin' of."

Maria shook her head. "No. You're not Rath, Michael. Yeah, he's part of your DNA but he's not who you are. Think about Laurie. You reminded her of her grandpa and not just because of your looks. She trusted you and if you remember, she didn't trust anyone. But when it came to you… it was different and a lot of that can be attributed to the way you treated her." She took a sip of her hot chocolate and her fingertip traced over the raised image of the yellow bear. "And have you considered that maybe your creators knew who they chose to mix into Rath's DNA? Maybe you've got the best of both of them at your disposal."

A slow smile spread across his face. "So, you think my rep's still intact after that whole Snowflake an' Santa incident in the elf house?" he asked. "You sure I'm fit for kids?"

She watched him for a moment, certain that he was redirecting the conversation, but letting it go when he tipped his mug up and chugged the rest of his hot chocolate. Her eyes followed him as he got up to go and get the remote for the TV, leaving his mug on top of the set. "Yes, I'm sure," she said quietly.

Michael dropped back down into his chair and he slouched down comfortably, feeling a little better after hearing those three words. "Wanna watch a little TV 'fore bed?"

"Gee, I don't know. Do I get to pick what we watch?" His snort indicated that the answer to that particular question was no. "Uh-huh, so we're looking at six seconds of this and eight minutes of that?"

Another snort as he reached up to scratch his eyebrow. He frowned when he turned the remote over in his hand and stared at it.

"What's wrong?"

"Oh, um, nothin'… just, the remote kinda got cracked last night an' I forgot to have Max fix it today."

She could see the intent in his eyes as he studied the crack in the plastic casing and before that thought could come to fruition she was up out of her chair, collecting his cup and carrying it along with hers into the kitchen. She was placing them on the counter when his forefinger started to slide along the crease, his brow furrowed. "No, Michael, don't."

He lifted his head to give her a winning grin. "Watch me."

She lunged for the remote and even in his slightly inebriated state he was a formidable opponent and he didn't want to let go of his toy. She gave it a hard pull and before she knew what had happened they were rolling around on the floor, their push and pull motions sending them towards the kitchen. They struggled for ownership of the remote and fought for the dominant position but in the end it came down to sheer size. She could've won the fight for dominance but it would've required injuring delicate parts of his body and really, there was no reason to be cruel. She lost her grip on the remote and the quest for dominance when he finally pinned her, sitting on his knees above her as he peeled her fingers off of it.

Michael pulled both of her wrists together and held them in one hand as he held the remote up in the other one, his grin wide and victorious. "Do you surrender?"

"If you promise to let Max fix it in the morning."

"Terms of surrender?" He shook his head. "I don't think so." His face was inches from hers, his body covering hers and she still thought she could control how he was going to deal with the remote? The fate of the remote became inconsequential and all of his senses went on alert as his eyes locked on her red, pouty mouth.

His breathing slowed as he lowered his head, his mouth settling over hers in a kiss that stole her breath. He gently nipped her bottom lip with his teeth before his tongue swept over the tiny bite in a request for entrance.

Maria's fingers clenched in his iron grasp and she moaned quietly as she granted his request. His hot chocolate and Tabasco sauce flavored tongue swept into her mouth, slowly exploring before tangling wetly with hers. It was so tender and so thorough that when he finally released her mouth she was left stunned.

She stared at him wordlessly when he released her wrists and sat up, leaning back on his heels to fix the remote he held. She watched him as his expression became focused intently on the crack and after a moment he ran his forefinger along the smooth edges, sealing it and removing any evidence that it had ever been broken. She saw the look in his eyes as he moved forward to drop down on his hands again and she wiggled out from under him.

He frowned at her until she shot him a smile and then tossed out a dare.

"Aren't you gonna try the remote out on the TV? Make sure it works?" she asked to distract him.

Michael stood up, steadying himself on the arm of the chair as he aimed the remote at the TV, shooting a smug grin in her direction when he scanned all 10 channels with ease. He settled on a station airing _Hockey Night in Canada_ highlights and he yawned widely as he dropped down in the chair once more.

Maria could see the day catching up with him, could see the exhaustion in his features that he wasn't in control enough to try to hide from her. She could see it in the slightly unfocused gaze as he stared at the television, the lack of attention being given to a sport he loved, and the relaxed sprawl of his body.

"C'mon, Spaceboy, it's late. It's past time for all good hybrids to be in bed."

He snorted at that and continued to watch TV even though he had passed watching and was merely staring at the little blurs skating across the screen now.

Maria crossed the room to turn the covers back before going back for him. The last thing she wanted to have to do was try to get the covers out from under him once he hit the bed. She put the fire out before taking the remote from him, not having to work too hard since he didn't put up much of a fight this time. He gave in after a token protest and she turned the TV off, tossing the remote in her chair and taking his hands to pull him to his feet.

"'m tired, M'ria," he mumbled sleepily as she got him into bed.

"I know." She turned away from him as she got out of her clothes and pulled on one of his clean tee shirts to sleep in.

Michael's eyes were slightly unfocused but they traced over her, taking in the moonlit lines of her body. "So beautiful…" he whispered.

Maria slipped into bed beside him and pulled the covers up over them. "Sleep now, Michael."

His arm slipped around her to pull her up against him and he buried his nose in her hair, breathing her scent in deeply. "You smell good…"

She lifted her head to look at him, remembering hauling him out of the party the year before when all of his senses had been on overload and he had dared to ask what that stench was.

"Like the apple smell better though," he whispered.

The apple smell? Her eyes widened at the memory of his economy-sized gift of all-in-one shampoo and conditioner on the double date from hell with Max and Liz. She had actually used every drop of that cheap two-in-one just because he had bought it. She opened her mouth to say something but the comment died on her lips as she smiled at his sleeping features. Her Spaceboy was down and out for the count.


	24. Chapter 24

**Part 24**

It was just a small movement that woke Maria several hours later and she blinked in an effort to focus her bleary eyes. Her hand shot out to find Michael and only came in contact with the warm spot where he'd lain since she had gotten him into bed. The warmth indicated the movement she had felt was recent and it hadn't taken long for her to wake up once it had registered. She threw the covers back and sat up, brushing her hair out of her face as she looked around for him.

She located him standing by the window, arms crossed over his tee shirt-covered chest as he stared out into the night. The moonlight fell over him, making his face appear as if it was carved in granite. His features had lost the softer expression he had worn earlier, indicating that the alcohol he had ingested had dissipated and he was once more stone cold sober. The cloak of responsibility was once more weighing on him and she knew his thoughts could be on any number of things.

Michael didn't move, didn't acknowledge her as she watched him, but he was aware of her steady gaze. His mind was on the van, or better yet, what they were going to do if Kyle was right. As much as he wanted to think that he could be wrong about his assessment the night they had broken down Kyle had a tendency to be right when it came to things of a mechanical nature. He had sounded certain that the engine was done in and if he was right where did that leave them? Engines didn't come cheap and the van was an older model, considered a classic by some, which would only drive the price up.

"Michael?"

The only indication that he had heard her was the slight shift in his stance.

"Why're you up?"

He shrugged his shoulders as he continued to stare outside, his gaze roving over the white fields around them. "Don't know, just thinkin'."

Maria got up out of bed and walked over to him, hissing at the cold floor and shivering as the cool air in the cabin brushed against her exposed skin. "Aren't you cold?" she asked, glancing at his bare feet below the frayed cuffs of his jeans.

Michael snorted softly and gazed at her for several long seconds before reaching out to her. "C'mere." He took the hand she held out to him and pulled her up against him, her back to his front as he pointed outside. "See out there? All that white just seems to go on for miles." He inhaled deeply as he felt her relax against him. "Stevens Sanctuary, this place is something else, huh?"

She stared outside, feeling a sense of peace settle over her, a direct contrast to the tension she could feel in him. "Wouldn't it be wonderful if the world would just leave us alone here?"

His only response was a grunt, his mind already busy going over his options and determining what it was going to take to keep them safe. He had to figure it out because failing them… failing her, was unacceptable. He had nearly blown it and put her in unimaginable danger back in October. The few days following their uncontrolled moment of passion in that roadside park had put him in a constant state of fear. Fear for her safety, for what it would mean to them as a group, what it meant to them as a couple that already had enough unresolved issues between them, and the fear that getting her pregnant might come at a cost neither of them was ready or willing to pay.

"I know back in October I really screwed up… when I…"

Maria swallowed hard as what he was trying to say began to sink in. "Michael, we needed each other, and I could've stopped you. I could've said no."

He was silent for a while, knowing what his next question was and fearing her answer. His voice was quiet when he asked, "Why didn't you?"

"Because I love you and I needed to be in your arms."

Michael pursed his lips as he considered her answer. "And afterward?"

She thought about that, choosing her words carefully before she spoke. "Even though I was due for my period in a day or two, I was scared. Since that day I've made sure I always have a box of condoms in my bag," she said, her tone lighter.

"Yeah?"

Maria turned in his arms and reached up to frame his face in her hands. "Yes. I love you, Michael." She kissed him, enjoying the heady rush of desire that erupted in her veins. She could feel how much he wanted her, could feel it in his taut body and see it in his expression as she leaned back to look at him. One of her hands slid down over his arm, linking their fingers and pulling him with her as she walked backwards to the bed.

He followed her willingly, settling beside her with his right leg caught between her thighs. Their mouths were fused in a long, heated kiss and their hands were everywhere as they hurried to re-familiarize themselves with each other. As his right hand swept up along her bare thigh and the oversized tee shirt covering her bunched up and brushed against his wrist he pulled back to look down at her. He dragged in several breaths and met her gaze in the moonlight. "Are you sure?"

Her eyes filled with unshed tears at the question, her heart clenching at the memory of hurting him this way. "I love you," she whispered. "I'm sure."

He nodded and his furtive gaze shot around the room, looking for her bag or his wallet. He smiled as the moonlight reflecting off of his wallet chain caught his attention. He lowered his head stealing another kiss that left her breathless. "Don't go anywhere, I'll be right back."

He drew back from her embrace but not before she reached for the button on his jeans. _Never again, Michael,_ she thought.

She forced a playful smile, her voice nearly hoarse as she whispered, "I'll be here." She watched him as he pulled his tee shirt over his head and in one quick movement stripped his jeans and boxers off. He left his clothes in a pile on the floor and her breath caught in her throat when he stepped into the swath of moonlight that filtered through the window. Her eyes were riveted to his sculpted body as she traced over the hard planes and the hollows dipped in shadow. He was magnificent; a work of art brought to life and she felt that familiar tug of desire.

The metallic whisper of his wallet chain drew her gaze to his hand as he replaced it. "Um, Michael… when did you buy those?"

He looked at her as he slipped into bed next to her, the necessary little packet in hand. "Did you really think I couldn't find a shower curtain?"

His skin was cold from being out of bed and she wiggled around under the covers to shrug out of his tee shirt. "Here, let me warm you up, Spaceboy." She rolled on top of him, reveling in the silky strength of his body. Her fingertips brushed along his jaw as she brushed his lips with hers, seeking permission and feeling relief wash over her when his mouth softened fractionally.

Michael's dark eyes followed her movements as she began to work her way down his body, mapping his chest and abdomen with her lips. Occasionally she would use her teeth to nip at him before soothing the tiny mark with her tongue. His hands grazed over her sides, trailing heat along her flesh as they dragged over her arms and shoulders so he could tangle his fingers in the long blonde waves.

He hissed when she got dangerously close to having him undone and he reached down to haul her back up over him and rolling them over to pin her beneath him. His hand slipped down between them to pleasure her and he was rewarded with her breathy moan.

He reared up to rock back onto his heels as he opened the little foil packet.

"Michael… I've missed you."

His hands stilled as he looked down at her, momentarily motionless as if contemplating her words. He swallowed hard before he spoke. "Missed you too," he admitted gruffly. He lowered himself over her, his lips skimming over her skin as he inhaled her scent. He detoured slightly to run his tongue over the tight tips that topped the mounds of her breasts before resuming his original path to reach his goal as his mouth once more settled over hers.

He kissed her deeply as his body rubbed against hers, enjoying the feel of her skin against his. This was something that he had missed so much. It was something that would never be theirs as long as their lives continued to be lived on the run. He pressed his face into the crook of her neck as he pushed that thought away, not wanting it to intrude.

Maria's thoughts were running in a similar direction but the lack of their connection still bothered her. She knew he was still shutting her out that way and it was going to take more than what little beer-induced progress they had made before that was restored between them. Her eyes locked with his, falling back on the most elemental of connections when he positioned himself between her legs.

"So beautiful," Michael whispered as he entered her.

It had been nearly three months since they had been together this way and their bodies quickly fell into _their_ rhythm. Whispered words, ragged moans, and their bodies coming together were the only sounds to be heard as they quickly reached their peaks. Their breathing was labored as they collapsed and Michael carefully rolled off of her to lie beside her. They stared up at the ceiling as their bodies recovered and he pulled her into his arms when he felt her reach out to him.

A while later he spoke up, breaking the stillness that had fallen around them. "Maggie's a cute little girl."

"That she is," Maria agreed as she shifted to rest her chin on the back of her hand where it lay on his chest.

"Back in October… the few days when we were waitin' was hell and when you told me that you weren't pregnant I was relieved, but the weird thing is I kinda felt…" he hesitated and bit his lip.

"Sad at the same time," she finished his sentence.

His arms tightened around her momentarily. "Yeah." He shook his head. "It's stupid to want somethin' like that with the way things are."

She shifted up onto her elbow to look down at him, meeting his eyes in the moonlight. The desire to have his own family was strong and even without seeing it there she knew it was something he held close to his heart. "It's not stupid, Michael."

"It's the kinda thing that's just too risky." His hand came up to cradle her face and she rubbed her cheek against his callused palm. "I should've – "

She pressed her forefinger against his lips to silence him. "You weren't alone that day," she whispered. "Just like you're not alone now. And I'm not just talking about things like that. I think maybe it's a good thing we broke down when and where we did." Her eyes traced over his features, still amazed at how intense his stare could be when he focused on her. "We all needed the break and it'll make it more bearable when we have to get back in that van and leave again."

He didn't reply, just tugged her down so that she was lying against him. Whether or not it was a good thing had yet to be seen. A lot was going to depend on what the mechanic told them when they finally got around to checking on it. She fell silent and before long he knew she was asleep, her body comfortably pressed against him and it wasn't long before he followed her into slumber.

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When Maria awoke again the room was filled with bright light streaming in through the windows. She closed her eyes and rolled over, reaching for Michael and coming up empty-handed. She frowned at the feel of the cool sheets and her features scrunched up into an expression of concentration as she listened, finally detecting the sound of the shower running. Right on the heels of that sound came the realization that she could smell coffee.

The knowledge that he had been up long enough for the sheets on his side of the bed to cool, make coffee, and get in the shower had her wondering what time he had gotten up. The fact that he had done all of that was a pretty clear indicator that he was ready to get moving as soon as possible and she sighed in resignation.

After dragging herself out of bed and pulling his tee shirt on again she walked over to the window and looked outside. It had stopped snowing and she wondered how much more had accumulated overnight. She dropped the curtain back in place and made her way to the kitchen, grabbing her mug and frowning at the empty coffee pot.

"Must've been a two-Tigger cup pot," she muttered with a derisive glance at the happy cartoon character etched mid-bounce on the side of Michael's mug. The empty mug he hadn't bothered to rinse out sitting next to the empty coffee pot he hadn't cut off and that was well on its way to burning the last few remaining drops of the dark liquid.

She reached out to turn it off just as the bathroom door opened and she turned to see Michael step out in a cloud of steam, wearing nothing but the towel knotted around his hips. It was the first time in so long that she had seen him in this state in the daylight. Her eyes followed the small droplets of water clinging stubbornly to his skin as one by one they lost the battle with gravity and began the slow descent over his skin to disappear in the towel. He glanced up and the sight of his face, dark eyes watching her and shaggy towel-dried hair framing his face held her gaze.

He gave her a quick good morning kiss, wiping the gawking expression off of her face. "Shower's all yours," he said as he crossed the room, his bare feet slapping against the floor and leaving heated footprints that dissipated within seconds.

"What about breakfast, Michael?"

"You bought strawberry pop tarts, didn't you?" He shrugged and dug out a pair of socks, sitting on the bed to pull them on.

"I see you made coffee." _And then drank all of it,_ she thought but didn't say.

He frowned and yanked the sock off again when he felt a string between his toes. That would drive him insane all day. "What? Yeah, but it turned out to be just enough for two Tigger mugs." He shrugged again and removed the offending string before pulling the sock on once more. "Who knew?"

"Right, well… I'll just go grab a shower."

He nodded and went to get a pair of jeans and a shirt, sitting down again to give her room to get her things together. He watched her without her realizing it and when she disappeared into the bathroom he turned to stare at the bed thoughtfully.

Maria's mind was busy going over every moment of the night before as the hot water washed away the evidence of their union. As wonderful as it had been to make love with him again she missed their connection, missed them being so open to each other. It was something that heightened their intimacy and without it she felt as if an essential part of _them_ was missing.

She made it through her shower in record time, interrupted only once when he pounded on the door and yelled for her to get a move on. She jerked the door open and stuck her head out while she was getting dressed. "What is your hurry?" she huffed.

He pulled the curtains back and gestured to the scenery beyond the window. "Do you see that?"

She rolled her eyes and he continued before she could speak.

"Blue skies, the sun is shining… That means clear roads," he clarified when she just looked at him.

"I see." She sat on his side of the poorly made bed and pulled her socks on. "You think the roads are suddenly clear because the sun's out?"

He leveled a look at her. "I think the roads will be passable and passable roads mean we can get in to check on the van an' find out when it'll be ready."

Her mind went back to what Kyle had told her just the day before. "Michael, you do realize that it might not be ready right away, right?"

"They're mechanics," he said with a shake of his head. "Fixin' broken vehicles is what they do."

"I'm just saying it might not – "

"C'mon, your breakfast's ready," he said when the toaster suddenly released the pop tarts it had been busy warming.

Maria moved to the counter as he dropped the pop tarts on a small plate and slid them down to her. She wasn't sure how he was feeling but he was making it pretty clear that he didn't want to talk about it. She broke one corner of the hot pastry off and popped it into her mouth, chewing it slowly. She turned her head slightly when he came up behind her, his left hand resting on the small of her back as he reached around her to fill her mug with coffee.

She smiled. Even though he was in a hurry he had taken the time to make a fresh pot of coffee and warm up a couple of pop tarts for her. She leaned back into his touch and sighed quietly when his thumb stroked over her spine a couple of times before he moved away. It wasn't anything big but the small touches were enough to tell her what she needed to know. Even though things weren't resolved between them he felt closer to her than he had in too long.

"We need to get movin'. We need to have another meetin' before we head up to the house."

Maria was glad she wasn't facing him because she rolled her eyes before she could stop herself. _Well,_ she consoled herself, _at least we won't be barging in so he can take over their bathroom._

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Isabel wiggled around as she raised her arms over her head to stretch and immediately froze when her elbow impacted with something and a curse broke the early morning silence. "Are Buddhists even allowed to say words like that?"

"I think it's acceptable when someone tries to shove your nose up into your brain," Kyle grumbled.

"I'm sure you're fine." She rolled onto her side to make sure he was alright. She brushed his hands aside and ran her thumb and forefinger over his nose before pushing against the bridge.

"Somehow I always imagined extraterrestrial probing a little different than this," he muttered, his tone amused.

"That's disgusting, Kyle."

"Tell me about it. Nasal probing just doesn't sound all that interesting. Although, as a guy who enjoys female companionship none of that alien probing really sounds all that interesting."

She made a face at him before flicking the tip of his nose with her middle finger.

"Ow!"

She flopped over on her back and glanced out the window. "What're you doing in here?"

Kyle looked at her, eyebrows lifted in surprise. "You don't remember?"

"Remember what?" she asked slowly.

_She didn't remember,_ he realized. _It was a golden opportunity and one he might never get again._ "You know," his eyebrows dipped down over the bridge of his nose, "last night. Us, together… you asked me to stay after you got into bed."

Her eyes widened comically as her hand felt around and she realized they were lying on top of the covers. Her gaze locked on the Mickey Mouse blanket covering them. "You mean we…" _No, she was sure she'd remember if they'd done THAT!_

"Um-hmm… all night long. Jeez, when you get really into it you're very, um, vocal." He gave a yawn when he realized he wasn't going to be able to control the grin as her mind automatically went in the wrong, yet intentional, direction. "Haven't slept that good in a long time." He paused for just a moment. "How 'bout you?" He bit his tongue hard when she lifted the edge of the blanket to peer down at herself.

Isabel knew he was never going to let her hear the end of it when she realized they were both fully dressed. She had played right into his hands just the way he had known she would. "Couldn't have been all that memorable if I can't even recall a single detail," she said, shoving her elbow into his side.

"Harsh," he muttered and then grinned. "First the nose and now the ego?" He glanced at her. "You feelin' okay?"

"Yeah." She hesitated a moment. "Why don't I remember anything after we sat down to dinner?"

"Edward's secret batter?" He nodded when she looked at him. "Yeah, the super secret ingredient's beer."

She shot up into a sitting position. "Max and Michael?"

"Oh, the two of them were very happy last night too. Liz and I got you and Max outta there pretty fast. I don't know how long it took for Maria to get Michael outta the house."

"So we didn't do anything suspicious?" she asked worriedly.

"Not really. You did a little redecorating when we got back here last night."

"What? Why didn't you tell me to change it back?"

"It wasn't hurtin' anybody and no one's here but us. I figured you could change it back this mornin' before we head up to the house."

Isabel studied his expression for several long seconds. "What?"

He shook his head. "You were feelin' kinda homesick last night and it shows in your makeover of the living room." He hadn't tried to get her to change it back the night before because he figured it couldn't hurt to let her hold onto the illusion a little longer, but now… _What if seeing it made her feel worse?_ He watched her as she threw the covers back and swung her legs over the side of the bed.

"Really vocal," she snorted as she got up.

Kyle grinned unrepentantly. "You are! It was like sleepin' next to a buzz saw."

"I do _not_ snore."

"I beg to differ." He got up to follow her into the living room, taking one of her hands in both of his when her shocked gaze had her reaching out to him.

Someone started pounding on the door before she had too much time to process what she was seeing.

"Sounds like Michael's feelin' no pain this mornin'," he muttered. "I really envy the way you guys get drunk and don't have to suffer the hangover the next mornin'." He squeezed her hand and nodded at the room. "Switch it back and then go take your shower. I'll fix us somethin' quick to eat 'cause that sounds like his impatient knock."

Isabel rolled her eyes. "How can you tell the difference?"

He grinned and walked to the front door, leaning back against it, watching as the room transformed before his very eyes. "Hey," he said when he saw the sadness on her face as she looked at the cabin that was once more in its original state. His body was jolted when Michael pounded on the door again but he held her gaze as he remained otherwise unmoving. "You will see them again, Isabel."

She swallowed hard and nodded before slipping back into her room.

He waited until he heard the shower come on before he turned and unlocked the door, pulling it open and shaking his head when he saw Maria munching on a pop tart. "Mmm… breakfast on the run?"

"Where's Isabel?" Michael demanded as he prowled around the room.

"Hey, El Capitan, leave the snow by the door," Kyle said before Michael could track it all over the room.

Maria shook her head when Michael turned to say something to Kyle and a moment later he returned to stomp his feet on the rug by the door.

"We're gonna have somethin' to eat." Kyle grabbed a box of cereal and poured it into two bowls before putting the milk on the table between them. He dropped a couple of slices of bread in the toaster before going to the refrigerator and grabbing the grape jelly.

"We don't have time for all this," Michael grumbled.

"Pop tarts to go is tempting but I'm gonna pass… pretty sure that'd be grounds for divorce in this cabin. And Isabel might just tell you where you and your pop tarts can go if you suggest she have them while we run over to Max and Liz's cabin." He looked up from pouring two glasses of orange juice. "I'll assume that's why you're here so early? Time for another meeting?" He nodded when Michael just glared at him. "So, no invasions prior to breakfast? No FBI agents cleverly disguised as little mounds of snow popping up all around us?" He shook his head. "No? Good, then there's no need to rush." He sat down and started mixing Tabasco sauce in the jelly, stirring it before spreading it on a piece of toast and taking a bite.

Maria winced as she watched him. _Disgusting._ The rest of them ate hot sauce in most things but she didn't care for it. Something that separated her from the others. She ignored that thought and moved to lean against the short wall that divided the breakfast nook from the kitchen.

"So, looks like things went okay last night," Kyle said as he watched Michael investigating their cabin. He waggled his eyebrows playfully as he nodded at the nosy hybrid. "Guess you took my advice, huh?"

Before Maria could come back with a scathing comment Isabel came up behind him and smacked the back of his head. "Eww, Kyle, not over breakfast."

Michael turned to face them, observing how easily Kyle and Isabel interacted. She didn't have a single word of reproach for his choice of breakfast food as she talked with him and Maria. He shook his head and turned to continue his investigation of the cabin, freezing when his gaze caught the Mickey Mouse blanket on Isabel's bed. His eyebrows lifted in interest as he made another pass through the cabin, surreptitiously scanning the second, smaller bedroom. The top bunk covered with the sheets that matched the blanket on Isabel's bed but no other blanket in sight. _Huh, go figure._

His patience, what little there was of it, was wearing thin as the three of them talked and Maria eventually joined them for a piece of toast, opting for butter and cinnamon instead of the spicy jelly. "We have a meeting to get to," he said finally.

Kyle responded automatically, bringing his right hand up to salute and smacking himself in the forehead with his spoon. He made a face as the girls burst out laughing and he just grinned at Michael as he wiped his forehead off. "And on that note, I think we should head out for El Capitan's meeting before he bursts a blood vessel."

Michael refrained from further comment when that seemed to get everyone up and moving. As soon as the dishes had been rinsed and stacked in the sink he was able to get them into their coats and out the door. He shook his head at them, relaxing when Maria's hand slipped into his as they took the lead on the walk to the honeymoon cabin.


	25. Chapter 25

**Part 25**

It was the scent of breakfast cooking that gradually began to pull Max back to the land of the conscious. For a moment he was in his bed back home on a lazy Saturday morning, waking to the fragrant aroma of his favorite breakfast. He could almost Isabel in her room down the hall making enough noise to wake the dead as she tore her closet apart looking for something. Dad muttering about getting a late start to go fishing because his son hadn't pulled his lazy butt out of bed yet. And Mom, telling Dad to relax and go check his fishing equipment one more time because didn't he need to rethread something or catch some flies, whatever that meant?

He smiled and rubbed his forehead against his pillow as the sounds of his family moving around, going about their morning routines, suddenly vanished to be replaced by other, similar sounds. He reached up to rub his hands over his face before turning his head to shoot an accusing glance at the alarm clock. Barely after 8am. He resumed his former position as he tried in vain to remember the night before, worried when his memory seemed to have stopped somewhere around the beginning of dinner.

His face screwed up in a grimace of concentration as he thought about the last time something like that had happened. _But how could that happen here?_ he wondered.

In the kitchen Liz was busy making Max's favorite breakfast, trying her best to stay busy and keep her mind off of the night before. She turned her head to the side, checking on him when he shifted and nodding to herself when he made no further movements. She flipped the sausage patties over and thought about how much she loved him instead. Sometimes it amazed her just how much it could hurt to love someone as much as she loved her husband.

She was chopping the last ingredients for his omelet when she felt him come up behind her to place a soft kiss on her neck.

"Mornin', Mrs. Evans," he rasped quietly.

Liz smiled back at him as she moved the smaller frying pan to the back burner. "G'morning."

"Um, Liz, what happened last night?" He reached up to scratch the back of his head in an attempt to cover his concern.

She forced a teasing grin to her face as she moved around him to drop a couple of slices of bread into the toaster but not depressing the button. "Edward's secret batter happened."

Max stopped scratching his neck as confusion played across his face.

"Um-hmm, it's official, the secret ingredient is beer."

Her smile was tight as she looked at him. "So, what's the last thing you remember from last night?"

Max could see the tension draped around her and he said the first thing he could think of that might make her smile. "I remember my fish was bigger than Michael's."

Her shoulders relaxed a bit as she laughed at his comment. "You're funny… and it's true." She could sense what was coming next, could see the question building in his eyes and she motioned to the refrigerator behind him before he could voice it. "Would you grab the eggs out of the fridge and I think I saw a mixing bowl under the counter." She smiled at him. "Find it for me?"

"Sure."

She went back to chopping while he gathered the things she had requested and her mind slipped back to the night before against her will.

"_I wanted to hold onto him and never let him go but I knew I couldn't. He wouldn't have been safe with me. At least with another family he has a chance at a normal life. You wonder sometimes, ya know? What kinda people just give their kids up… but sometimes there's no other choice."_

"_Everything's a choice, Max. The options may not be that great but it's still a choice."_

_He shrugged._

She could still remember the first time he had gotten drunk. He hadn't remembered anything he had said or done when sobriety had returned but he had been so open and honest that night. When he had regained control once more he had turned to her for answers, wanting to know what he had done while under the influence. She nodded absently when he slid the bowl and eggs on the counter before telling her he was going to go and get dressed. She didn't want to have to answer those questions this time around so she was doing whatever she could to put it off as long as possible.

She finished making breakfast and slid the plates on the table just as Max came back in after showering and dressing. He grabbed the glasses of juice off of the counter and set them by the plates before taking his seat across from her. He cut into the southwestern omelet, his mouth watering at the savory aroma.

"So… did I use my powers in front of anyone up at the house?"

Liz chewed slowly, taking her time before answering. "Um, no, thank goodness… no."

Max took another bite, enjoying the flavor as he watched her, noting the tension again. "Liz, you seem kinda tense." _She hadn't been like this yesterday so it had to be related to last night,_ he mused. "What'd I do?" His amber eyes pinned her, holding her in place as effectively as a lock that only he held the key to release her.

Before she could answer, or avoid, as he suspected she might do, they were interrupted by a familiar pounding on their front door.

"Nothing, Max," Liz assured him. "You were you and I love you."

Max got up to answer the door. That wasn't an answer and he had every intention of revisiting this conversation when they were alone again. He was reaching for the door when just a snippet of the night before smacked him in the face. _My son, I told her how much I miss him._ He had done everything in his power to avoid burdening her with that and with just a few drunken sentences he had managed to destroy it.

His hand was just settling on the doorknob and turning it when the door was pushed in. He quickly jumped back at the cold blast of air that entered ahead of their friends and family. As soon as they were in he shoved the door closed against the arctic air and any wishes he had of sitting back down to a quiet breakfast with his wife were ruined when they immediately went their separate ways, moving around the cabin.

Kyle, of course, went straight to the kitchen, nosing around to see what was left. "We came over to get a glimpse at how the other half lives," he joked.

"Oh, Liz, what is that wonderful smell?" Maria asked as she meandered into the kitchen behind him.

"I made my guy his favorite breakfast." She took a sip of her orange juice and set it back down before motioning to the plate on the counter by the stove. "There's some sausage left over if you want some." She shot a glance at Michael, watching him prowl around the cabin for a moment. "Unless Michael cooked for you?"

Kyle snorted as he grabbed the loaf of bread. "She's already feasted on Michael's gourmet handmade strawberry pop tarts. But, hey, I'll be happy to finish off that sausage if there're no takers."

"We just ate, Kyle," Isabel admonished as she settled into the rocking chair, once again holding the stuffed grizzly bear.

He turned to look at her, noting the way her fingers combed through the short fur on the stuffed animal. He just shrugged and went back to putting his sandwich together, frowning when Maria reached past him to snatch a couple of pieces of sausage. Before he could get a word out Michael stopped so that he was central to all of them.

"We're not havin' anymore of these meals with secret ingredients." He turned his head, looking between Max and Isabel. "The two of you were way too obvious."

Maria burst out laughing and the glare he shot in her direction only made it worse.

"What's so damn funny?"

"Michael, you're the one who made the cap explode off of a bottle of soda when Edward – "

"Soda bottles do that around humans too," he said dismissively.

"Wait," Max said before Michael could successfully change the subject, "you used your powers in front of the Stevens?" He scratched the back of his head as he got up from the table again, sending an inquisitive look in his friend's direction. "Did anyone see you do anything else with your – "

"No one saw anything," he bit out. "I wasn't drunk."

"Look, I know we don't remember anything from last night – "

"No, Max, maybe you don't remember anything from last night, but I," he glanced at Maria, "have perfect recall."

Maria's eyebrows lifted in surprise. "Everything?"

"You used your powers in front of Edward," Max muttered, sounding agitated. "It doesn't matter how abstract it was – "

"Back off, Max," Michael warned, bristling at his tone. "Don't think you can just suddenly start callin' the shots and ordering people around again now that you've had a little time to decompress." He looked around, surveying the honeymoon cabin with all of its creature comforts and he shook his head, pushing forward before Max continued with his current thought. "The sun's out and the roads are clearing. If we can move so can the FBI. We need to find out about the van because we need to get movin'… and we need to know somethin' TODAY. It's tactically dangerous to be hangin' out havin' a honeymoon when we're boxed in here!"

"Michael," Maria said as she came to stand next to him, sliding her hand into his.

"So, what's the plan, El Capitan?" Kyle asked as he hopped up to sit on the counter and took a bite of his sandwich. "We all head in to the shop?"

Michael shook his head. "No." He pointed at Kyle. "You an' me go. Max stays with the girls."

"Cool." He glanced at Max, seeing that he was about to argue with Michael. "Good idea, divide up our defense, make sure we're all protected." He grinned at Max. "Hey, Reindeer Wrangler, you can help the girls make cookies."

Isabel had gotten up when the arguing started and she stepped in to give Liz a hand gathering up the breakfast dishes and carrying them to the sink. Maria joined them once she was sure the edge had been taken off of Michael's temper and she gave Kyle a shove to get him off of the counter. "Go in the other room and keep the two of them from burning the place down."

"Okay, but if I end up lookin' like a piece of Swiss cheese you're gonna be sorry."

Isabel snapped him with the dishtowel in her hand. "Kyle."

"Goin'. Jeez, give a guy a minute to get movin', will ya?" he complained as he dropped down to the floor and crossed the room. He stepped in between Max and Michael and glanced between the two of them, getting their attention as he raised his arms and brought them down again, indicating the strip of floor he was standing on. "This right here? This is my safe area, got it? Neutral zone, Switzerland, whatever you wanna call it, but we're all gonna play nice for a while, so be good little hybrids and go sit in your separate corners."

Maria rolled her eyes as she ran the water to wash the dishes but a moment later Isabel had her attention.

"We've got a lot of planning to do," the tall blonde said once Michael was safely out of earshot courtesy of Kyle. "We all know Michael's in denial about the van; we're gonna be stuck here for a while and we might as well use our time planning 'Christmas on the Lake'. The Martin family and their little community have lost someone dear to them."

Maria and Liz exchanged a look as Isabel's eyes took on the familiar gleam, her hands folded around the dishtowel and resting against her chin as she looked at something only she could see.

"Think about it," she said, her tone excited, "we have a chance to make someone else's Christmas better than our own."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Edward stood at the living room window, his gaze on the birds flitting around the feeder hanging from a branch in a nearby tree. He took a drink of his coffee as he gaze shifted back to the path that led to the cabins and he watched his guests as they walked up to the house, paired off with just a bit of distance between each couple.

He squinted when one of them pointed and after a moment he was able to make out Liz' features. His head turned to follow her pointing finger and he shook his head slightly when he saw the hawk his wife had named Hercules flying through the sky, being chased by four crows. The large bird of prey eventually rid himself of his antagonists and landed in a fir tree not far away, surreptitiously eyeballing the birdfeeder below his perch.

He smiled to himself when his youngest son hit the wrong note as he practiced his piano lesson for the day. In the kitchen he could hear Julia cleaning the kitchen and talking to herself as she added to the grocery list. Brian was doing his chores and taking the trash out and within moments he heard the familiar _stomp, stomp, stomp_ of his little girl's feet on the stairs. His lips lifted at the corners when the faucet in the kitchen sink was abruptly silenced and he looked down as he shook his head, just waiting for it.

"Maggie Marie Stevens, how many times have I told you not to run down those stairs?" Julia called out from the kitchen.

Edward snorted quietly, still amazed at his wife's ability to see and hear their children when they were out of eyesight and earshot. He turned his head to the side when Maggie pulled up short and looked at him. "Don't look at me," he said with a shake of his head. "You'll get me in trouble with you." His thoughts shifted to the garage that housed the snowmobiles and the small heated office that doubled as his woodcarving studio. _Yes sir,_ he thought, _it's Christmas vacation… time for a little alone time._

Maggie stepped into the kitchen, biting her bottom lip. "I'm sorry, Mama."

Julia placed the last rinsed dish in the drain rack and reached for a dishtowel to dry her hands on as she turned to look at Maggie. She knew her daughter well. "Uh-huh, I've heard that one before. I think you need a little reminding this time." She pointed at the chair by the window next to Cindy and picked up the timer off of the stove, twisting the knob to set it for 10 minutes. She didn't really want to punish her little girl, but she did want her to think about it. "In 10 minutes I want you to tell me why it's important that you not run up or down the stairs."

Maggie wiggled around on the seat of her chair, her little legs pumping up and down like she was on a swing set. She leaned in toward Cindy's chair and whispered, "We got in trouble for runnin' down the stairs again." Her head turned to the back door when she heard the doorknob turn and a thump as Brian pushed against it.

"Hey, M, in trouble already?" He made a face at her. "Didn't you just get up?"

"Mama, Brian just made a face at me!"

Julia didn't even turn away from what she was doing as she asked, "Brian, did you get all of the garbage outside in the dumpster?"

He watched his sister as he listed off how he had emptied all of the trash out of the bathrooms and the kitchen and dumped it into the dumpster, shooting a triumphant grin at her as he finished.

Maggie crossed her arms over her chest, her legs still swinging as she looked over at Cindy. "Ignore him so we don't get in trouble again."

"Haven't you forgotten something, Brian?"

Brian huffed out a breath that sounded suspiciously like a "Sh – " but instantly died on his lips when he realized what he had almost said out loud. "Firewood, I forgot to bring in the firewood."

Maggie lifted her chin and shot an angelic smile at him just as the timer went off. "Mama, can I get down now?" She frowned at the question and after a moment rephrased it and posed it again. "May I get down now?"

Julia tried very hard not to laugh when her youngest corrected herself. "As soon as you tell me why it's important that you not run down the stairs."

Maggie watched as Mama finished writing out her grocery list and cut the last few coupons out of the paper. She drew in a deep breath before speaking. "Well… 'cause I could trip runnin' up the stairs an' hurt myself like that time when Eddie left his Lego dinosaur on the steps. Or I could maybe run into someone goin' up or down the stairs an' cause an accident."

She opened her arms to her daughter. "Come here and tell me the last reason."

Maggie slipped down off of the chair and walked over to Mama to climb up into her lap. She smiled when Mama's arms came around her and her breath tickled her ear when spoke again.

"And why is it most important that you not run down the stairs?"

She turned herself around in Mama's arms and gave her a big smile. "'Cause Mama doesn't want for me to get hurt 'cause she loves me."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Edward turned his head as he watched the Scooby gang make their way to the back door just as Maggie came back into the living room.

"Has Hercules had his breakfast yet, Daddy?"

He smirked to himself as he watched his little girl's reflection in the glass window. She had seen the hawk swoop down and pluck a bird from the feeder, taking his order to go once before and it had upset her and made her cry. He had patiently explained that Hercules was a beautiful bird just like the smaller ones and that was what he had to do to live. Since that day he always warned her when the hawk hadn't eaten yet. He had made her laugh a little when he had reassured her that every once in a while the hawk's breakfast got away. "Eddie? Has Hercules had his breakfast yet?"

Eddie stopped mid-chorus of 'Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow'. "Um, I don't think so."

Edward turned to his little girl. "What about you and Miss Cindy? Have you had breakfast yet?"

"Yes, Daddy, before you, 'member?" she giggled.

He smiled and glanced up when he heard the back door open and after a moment their company came inside. He heard the exchange of 'good morning's' between his wife and the kids and as the conversation turned to the birds outside he looked down at his cooling coffee and turned to go into the kitchen.

"There was a really large bird in the sky when we were walking up," Liz said, her tone curious. "It was being chased by a bunch of crows. What kind of bird was it?"

Michael nudged her to get her out of his way as he stepped the rest of the way in and turned to shut the door. "Looked like some kinda hawk to me," he muttered.

"Good answer," Edward said as he joined them. "Hercules is a hawk. He's what's known as a goshawk."

"What happens if the crows catch the gos… goshawk?" _It was an awkward word._ She rolled her eyes at Michael when he released an exasperated sigh at her inquisitive nature. "Can they kill it?"

"No chance of the crows catchin' a hawk. Hercules is a bird of prey, he's stronger than they are and he's bein' harassed."

"Daddy said if he had his 870 he'd take care of them crows," Maggie announced as she came into the kitchen behind him. She looked up at Daddy. "What's an 870?"

Julia looked at her husband reproachfully. "Edward." Her attention dropped to their daughter. "Maggie, have you brushed your teeth yet?"

She glanced up at Daddy again. "Not yet, Mama."

She sent her daughter out of the room to brush her teeth just as Eddie's practice ended in the middle of the chorus. A moment later he and Brian entered the kitchen, shoving each other as they fought for the right to lean in the doorway in what she was certain was supposed to be the cool posture. Brian won the rights to the doorway, slouching down and propping his shoulder against one side. She bit back the urge to roll her eyes when her boys spoke at the same time.

"Hey."

Maria glanced at Kyle. "What's an 870? Is he talking about a gun?"

"Shotgun," Michael said softly as he leaned over her shoulder.

Eddie laughed at Maria's question and he took a couple of steps forward before Brian could start talking. "Last summer there was this woodpecker that wouldn't leave his spot next to Mom an' Dad's room. Stupid thing would peck, peck, peck constantly at the exterior logs. So this one mornin' me an' Brian woke up to this loud BOOM," he said, nearly shouting the word. "And then there was this blood curdling scream."

Julia shook her head at her husband's wide grin as he finished his coffee. The boys were laughing so hard that Eddie couldn't finish the story so she picked it up for him.

"The short version," she said to spare the gang any irrelevant and embellishing details the boys might come up with, "is that Edward got up at 5am and used his 870 on the woodpecker while I was still sleeping. So the scream was me waking up to the love of my life standing at the open window in his boxers with his gun pointed outside with feathers falling everywhere." She filled Edward's insulated mug with coffee and snapped the lid on before handing it to him.

She leaned in to give him a kiss, shoving the folded grocery list into his shirt pocket before stepping back. She patted his pocket as she looked up at him. "The coupons are folded into the list, so don't drop them everywhere when you get to the Walmart."

He rolled his eyes as he glanced down at his bulging pocket. "What'd you do, woman, shove the entire newspaper in there?"

Julia waved him off with a roll of her eyes. "Run along now, Edward. The cupboards won't stock themselves."

He snorted and turned to glance around the room, taking in their guests. "Okay, daylight's burnin'. Whoever's ridin' up to the dealership, let's get a move on." He pointed at the three guys when it looked like Michael and Max were having some sort of silent disagreement. "That means the three of you," he clarified.

Michael bit his tongue to keep from arguing, knowing it would only appear suspicious. He looked down when Maria took his hand, squeezing it to get his attention.

"We'll be fine here," she said, conscious of Edward's gaze as he watched them. He wasn't being as obvious about it as he had other times, but she was aware of it all the same.

"I've got shotgun," Kyle called as he stood up. "Hear that, El Capitan? Shotgun, the window seat, the front seat… it's all mine." He glanced at Edward. "So, let's talk about that truck of yours."

Maria almost snorted at his comments. He was trying to ease Michael's tension at having his plan disrupted but he had to know there was no way he'd ever get his desired seat. "Michael, if anything happens Isabel would be able to let you know," she said quietly.

"Edward," Julia was saying just as quietly, "it'll be fine if Max stays here."

He gave her a look as he shrugged into his coat. "Let's get goin' before the wife thinks of anymore errands for me to run today."

Michael didn't like it but there wasn't much he could do about it without making Edward suspicious. He knew Isabel was capable and he didn't doubt she would do everything she could to protect them if it ever came to that, but two was always better than one. "We need to go check on the van."

Maria had already known that Edward would win this one. He didn't know them well enough to leave another man alone with his family. She wasn't sure he was all that comfortable leaving her, Liz and Isabel with them, but out of the six of them the girls likely presented the lesser threat. She smiled at him when he leaned in to kiss her. "We'll be fine," she assured him. "You just go and find out what you need to know." She grabbed onto his collar to bring him closer for another quick kiss. "And you be careful, understand?"

A slight smirk caused his lips to twitch and he nodded. "Be back soon."

The guys followed Edward outside to the truck that he had already warmed up and Michael reached for Kyle, grabbing a handful of his coat when he started to slide into the front seat. "Wrong, Valenti."

Kyle shrugged. "Hey, it was worth a try."

"Be right back," Edward said as he turned to walk back up to the house.

Michael grabbed Kyle by the collar when he tried to slide into the backseat. "Now what? Do you want me to ride in the bed of the truck?"

"Max will sit behind the drivers' seat."

"Why? So he can put the Vulcan death pinch on Edward if he does somethin' weird?" He held his hands up when Michael just glared at him. "Fine, fine, take whatever seat you guys want. I'll just take whatever's left over. And if it's inside that'd be great. I don't think I'd look that great as an ice sculpture."

"You're hilarious, Valenti," Michael growled.

Max rolled his eyes and slid inside just as Edward came back out holding his insulated mug. It was pointless to argue with Michael over seating arrangements. He would get his way with or without an argument and it was better to keep things low-key if possible.

Michael shut his door just as Edward slid in behind the wheel and for a moment they looked at each other. He looked down when the man held his hand out, presenting him with a cell phone.

"Julia wanted you to take her phone with you since I'll be makin' a run to the Walmart while you guys are talkin' to Dean about your van. I won't be gone long, just pickin' up a few groceries, but I'm sure the three of you will be fine at the shop until I get back."

Michael stared down at the phone in his hand. _Was it safe for Edward to leave them alone? What if the grocery run was a ruse? The government could probably track cell phones. What if he left them at the shop knowing someone was coming for them?_ "One of us could go with you, give you a hand," he offered.

"Yeah," Kyle said, following Michael's lead as he hung over the front seat. "Max here, he's a great bagboy. Knows how to pack a grocery sack like no one I've ever seen."

Max gave him a sharp smack across the back of his head, earning him a reproachful look as Kyle leaned back, rubbing the offended area.

"You know, if I'd happened to turn right then you could've put my eye out."

Edward snorted as he put the truck in gear. "Thanks, but I think I can handle a few groceries. If you guys get finished up with Dean there's a little waitin' area at the dealership where you can get a cup of coffee and read a magazine. Two people makin' a run for what I've gotta pick up would be a waste and you guys will probably have plenty of questions for Dean. We'll be back in no time," he said with a smile as he pulled out of the driveway and onto the old highway.


	26. Chapter 26

**Author's Note: **A few lines in this part were borrowed from the Season Three Roswell episode Disturbing Behavior.

**Part 26**

The sunlight bounced off of the snow, so blindingly bright it hurt his eyes and made them water like crazy. Kyle shifted in an effort to get away from it but since he was vertically challenged there was no way to avoid it. Unless he wanted to slide across the seat and sit in Max' lap and somehow that would just be wrong for so many reasons. He shifted uncomfortably and realized that his right knee was wedged against the front seat so tightly that he couldn't move it. Michael had long legs so as soon as he had gotten in he had shoved the seat so far back he was practically in Kyle's lap.

Kyle rolled his eyes. He would've said something but he already knew what was waiting for them at the shop so there was no need to aggravate the volatile hybrid prior to him learning that the van was indeed toast. He'd rather have Michael at least somewhat relaxed before that happened. Maybe it would balance out his reaction when the mechanic handed out the diagnosis because that news wasn't going to be received well.

Michael shifted the sun visor a little but it was of no help to Kyle. He wasn't tall enough or in the right position to take advantage of the respite it offered. He glanced over at Max, taking in his erect posture as he stared unseeingly at the back of Edward's head. He wondered what he was thinking about. _The van? Their current situation? Whatever was going on between him and Liz?_ He shook his head. _The last one,_ he decided.

Outwardly Max gave no indication that something was troubling him, but he knew him well enough now to see the little indicators. Max carried himself differently than Michael did and he bottled things up. Granted, he could use a little less of Michael's overbearing personality when things weren't going right, but at least with him you knew where you stood. In some ways that made Max the harder one to read; he internalized, agonizing over things while trying to pretend that nothing was wrong and he had everything under control.

Appearances could be deceiving though. He tipped his head to the side, studying him and a smile broke out on his face as his imagination kicked in, providing him with an image of a palace. He could easily picture Max as royalty, sitting on a purple satin pillow with little gold tassels while his underlings plied him with hand-peeled grapes and fanned him with palm fronds. _Wearing some sort of Aladdin getup,_ he thought, trying not to laugh. He snorted, nearly choking as his laughter escaped and he shook his head when all three of them turned to look at him.

"What is up with you, Valenti?" Michael bit out.

"Nothin', just a thought." Kyle shook his head and cleared his throat, trying to come up with something to get the attention off of him. "So did you really blast Woody Woodpecker in your underwear? How'd that go?"

Edward shifted and shrugged one shoulder. "It went." _Yeah, it went,_ he thought. _Went over about as well as a fart in Sunday school._

Max snorted softly. "My wife would have me on the couch for a long time for somethin' like that." Not that he'd ever do anything like that.

"You'd be lucky to see daylight again if you ever did somethin' like that," Michael muttered.

"Well, I wasn't on the couch technically," Edward said. "I was temporarily residing in the office."

"I can imagine." Kyle thumped the back of Michael's head. "Hey, whatcha think Maria would do to you if you ever did somethin' like that?"

"I think it's not even worth thinkin' about."

Kyle nodded. Yeah, she'd annihilate him for that. He reached between the seats to point up ahead. "Is that the shop?"

Edward flipped his turn signal on as they approached the dealership. "That'd be it. You'll find Dean in the shop." He grinned. "Just follow your ears." He pulled into the parking lot and put the brakes on. "If you guys need anything," he nodded at the phone Michael held, "speed dial two for me and three for the house."

Michael held it up as he nodded, sliding it into his pocket as he shoved his door open and stepped down. "We'll be waitin' for you."

"Shouldn't be long, just a quick run to the Walmart." He glanced over his shoulder when Kyle opened the back door and misjudged just how high up the truck sat. The younger man yelped as the ground he had expected to be right there didn't materialize and he took a nosedive into the snow.

Michael reached down to grab the back of Kyle's coat, pulling him back up just as Max dropped down out of the truck. He turned to look at Edward. "See ya later." As soon as the doors were shut the truck pulled away and the guys turned to walk over to the customer entrance. He jerked the door open and muffled music reached their ears as they walked along a short concrete-walled hall to the glass door that opened into the shop.

Their ears were assaulted by painfully loud music reverberating off of the walls and shaking the glass in the windows as they opened the door and stepped into the nearly empty shop. Max reached up to cover his ears, wondering how anyone could listen to anything so offensive to the auditory nerves. Kyle was thinking something along similar lines as lyrics that he couldn't even decipher were screamed out of the speakers at a decibel that was normally reserved for people who were nearly deaf.

Michael glanced around the shop, taking in a couple of cars with parts strewn around them in some sort of chaotic order and he stalked over to the stereo set up in one corner, jerking the power cord out of the outlet. The sudden silence was deafening and his head turned to the left when he heard something rolling along the concrete. A moment later a man stood up near the open hood of a… he squinted, his eyes still adjusting to the change in lighting. _It was a Jetta,_ he realized. Some sort of bluish-green. _Definitely a chick's color choice._

"You fella's must be here for the VW bus," the man said as he approached them, wiping his hands on a greasy rag that he shoved back in one of the back pockets of his jeans. He was wearing a Godsmack tee shirt, his left arm covered in a tattoo sleeve and his right eyebrow pierced.

Kyle stepped forward and held his hand out to the guy. "Kyle," he introduced himself before hooking his thumb over his shoulder to indicate his friends. "Michael and Max."

"Name's Dean." He shook their hands and then nodded to the back of the shop where their vehicle was waiting. "Who did the paint job on your bus? Man, I've gotta tell ya, that's an amazing job."

Kyle nodded. "Wish I could tell ya, but it'd already been done before we got our hands on it."

"Damn shame. Someone really knows what they're doin'. I've never seen a paint job quite like this one. C'mon, let's go take a look at your bus."

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Eddie stared up at Maria as she rolled out the cookie dough. He propped his elbows on the counter and rested his chin in his hands as he watched her. She had been telling him about her mother, who sounded a little bit strange in his opinion, but he wasn't about to tell her that! "So, your mom's… what'd you call her, a hippie?"

"Yes, I did," Maria said with a smile.

"What's a hippie anyway?"

"Someone who's a free spirit, makes their own rules, and loves nature." She nodded to the measuring cup next to him. "Would you hand that to me?"

Eddie hurried to snatch it up and hand it to her, his hand brushing against hers and making his heart stutter in his chest. What the heck was wrong with him? "So is your mom like one of those tree hugger people?"

Maria snorted softly. "Yeah, she kinda is," she admitted. "She'd have a fit over your dad shooting that poor little woodpecker."

The boy smiled at her. "It wasn't really funny at the time. Mom was mad at Dad for a long time," he said uncomfortably. He shrugged one shoulder and looked up at her. "That woodpecker was destroying the wood trim around their bedroom window… it's expensive stuff, ya know. I mean, Dad replaced it several times and even hung a suet feeder out in the yard but it kept comin' back."

"A what?"

"A suet feeder." He grinned when he saw the confusion on her face. "They're these little cake-like things made of fat and seeds."

"Sounds tasty," she said, making a face.

He laughed at her expression. "The birds like 'em, especially woodpeckers, but for whatever reason that one just wasn't interested. Anyway, Dad had just had enough." He lowered his voice as he glanced at Mom where she was busy making cookies and talking to Liz and Isabel. "It got him in major trouble with Mom though."

"I'll bet." Maria smiled, thinking of some of the impulsive things Michael had done. Nothing quite so drastic as what Edward had done to that poor little bird, but he definitely had his impulsive moments too.

Julia looked up when the phone rang and she wiped her hands on her apron. "That'll be your dad," she said as she crossed the kitchen to answer it.

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Edward walked through the automatic doors and grabbed a cart, nearly mowing down the greeter on his way through the theft sensors and into the store. He paused to apologize and then continued on his way, stopping when he realized the cart had a limp and the wheel would stick every couple of feet. He huffed in irritation and returned it to the cart area and pulled another one out, giving it an experimental push before making his way inside once more.

He slowed down as he neared the displays set up with all of the special foods that only came out around the holidays. He browsed for a few minutes before his thoughts began to wander and his mouth nearly started to water at the thought of filet mignon for two, crescent rolls… maybe apple dumplings or pie from the bakery… He glanced at his watch. Oh, yeah, the kids would be out in the next day or so. He had faith that Dean would fix whatever was wrong with their van and have them on their way. The guy was a top-notch mechanic; he could fix anything.

He felt better as he straightened up and reached into his shirt pocket to pull the list out, frowning he unfolded it and little colorful strips of paper floated out to dance on the air as they fluttered to the floor. "What the…" He crouched down to start collecting the escaped coupons, chasing a couple of them across the floor when the automatic doors opened behind him and the wind caught the paper, chasing them several feet away.

Once they were all collected once more he shoved them in the pocket of his coat and turned his attention back to the list. His frown only deepened when the page slipped and he realized that there were two pages. His mouth dropped open in shock as he separated the pages and his gaze slid over the… it couldn't even be called a list. It was like an order form for a restaurant stock supply!

"24-pound turkey, honey-glazed ham, four…" his eyebrows nearly shot up off of his forehead, "_four_ bags of hash browns?" His gaze skittered further down the list. There were enough baking ingredients there for them to open their own bakery.

"You look about like I did when the wife sent me out this mornin'."

Edward looked up to see a man moving past him pushing one cart and pulling another one, both of them packed to overflowing with groceries. He nodded and lifted the hand with the list as the man maneuvered his load into the checkout aisle. He pulled his phone out, growling under his breath as he flipped it open and hit number three on his speed dial.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Dean patted the side of the bus as they passed it. "She sure is a beaut. Unfortunately…" he led the way around to the back end where the engine was hanging from a hydraulic lift, "Murphy really shit on your parade, boys. She's gonna need more than just major surgery to get her roadworthy again."

Kyle saw the problem right away but he allowed Dean to take the lead and walk the guys through the major issue they were facing. He had already suspected it was bad and he had tried to tell them but this was even worse than he had thought.

"See that rod right there?" Dean asked. Max and Michael followed his pointing finger as he leaned over to pick something up off of the floor. "Yup, this's what's left of it." His forefinger traced over one end of the rod. "For some reason it detached and went right through the block." He motioned to the engine again, drawing their attention to the obvious defect. "That's one big ass crack, guys."

Kyle was watching Michael's features, seeing the tension building with each new nail in the van engine's coffin. Oh, he was gonna blow at any minute.

Max scratched the back of his head. "Well, yeah, but it can be fixed, right?" His gaze shot to Kyle when the other guy let out a nervous laugh.

"Not with all the king's horses and all the king's men, El Presidente."

"You've got some options of course," Dean said, glancing between them. "There's no way to repair that crack; your engine's shot. Even a rebuild's gonna be costly."

Michael was gritting his teeth. "When you say costly…"

"Upwards of $3,500. These babies don't come cheap. Of course, then you're gonna have to factor in the shipping costs and labor so you're lookin' at a pretty good chunk of change before you're finished. Your other option would be to look around for another vehicle. I've got a buddy who buys these classics and restores 'em. Shane doesn't sell parts for 'em but he does have a bunch of old vehicles out on his property. He might have somethin' to interest you." He shrugged. "You're likely to come out cheaper. There's no rush to decide though. I'll have to stop in and check with Shane. He doesn't keep a phone so a visit's the only way to get 'hold of him." He scratched his head. "Yeah, ah, Shane, he's kinda in his own world there off 55."

Kyle nodded as he glanced at Michael, noting the slightly confused look on his face. "If we could have a little time to decide that'd be great."

"Cool. I've gotta finish runnin' your information and then I'll put it on the hold list until you've had some time to figure out how you'd like to proceed. If I could get one of you to sign off on the paperwork that'd be great. I can go ahead an' run your VIN while I'm at it. I was gonna do it before but the system was down yesterday afternoon and when I got in this mornin' I got sidetracked by my girl's car." He nodded at the Jetta he had been working on.

"Figured that was a chick's car," Michael muttered to cover for the myriad of panicked thoughts at Dean's comment about running their VIN.

"Yeah," he laughed, "she's home from college for the holidays and she knows the labor's cheap if I do it."

Max glanced at Michael, taking in the tic in his tightly clenched jaw. "Why don't I go take care of that paperwork," he suggested.

Dean nodded. "Cool. I've got everything in the office. Follow me."

"I'll take care of it," Max said to Michael as he passed him. "Just… I don't know… go see if you can dig our sunglasses outta the van or somethin'." He glanced at Kyle, mouthing the words 'keep him occupied'.

Kyle nodded and waited until Max had disappeared into the office behind Dean. "So, El Capitan, wanna go find our sunglasses? I don't know about you but I could do without bein' blinded on the trip back to the house. I think my corneas may have already gone into shock… they may never recover from the earlier abuse."

Michael was staring after Dean and Max, his temple starting to throb because his back teeth were grinding so hard.

"Yo, Michael, hey, let Max handle it." He had no idea why Max was suddenly stepping up and showing an interest, but it was a good thing and he had every intention of encouraging him to continue that behavior. "Look, let him work his magic on the computer or whatever… you try it in this state and you're likely to blow the damn thing up." He reached out and slapped the other guy's shoulder. "Wanna know what I was thinkin' about in the truck?"

"Not really."

"You sure? It'll make ya laugh."

"Let's just get this over with," Michael said, following Kyle as he picked his way around the tools and parts on the floor. He leaned against the side of the van while Kyle climbed inside to dig around and his gaze strayed to the ugly green Jetta. He glanced back towards the office as he found his feet leading him to the car that was so familiar and so different at the same time.

Kyle was leaning over between the front seats, moving paper around as he looked for sunglasses when he glanced up and noticed Michael. He stood next to the Jetta, his mind a million miles away. _Or maybe just as far as Roswell, a certain blonde and another Jetta,_ he mused.

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Julia reached for the phone just as Maggie let out a sound of pure happiness. She leaned back to look out through the window as her husband started going on about the list she had sent with him, insisting that she must be out of her mind to think he was buying enough food to feed an army.

"Mrs. Dayna's here!" Maggie ran over to Mama as she shouted excitedly.

She put her hand up to quiet her daughter. "Edward, the list is right… And Dayna's at the door. Hang on a minute I'll be right back. I have to go get the door." She set the receiver down just as Isabel volunteered to answer the door for her.

On the other end of the line Edward was listening to the rustling sounds as Dayna entered the kitchen and he glanced over the list once more. _Why was she at the door?_ He leaned on the cart, his morose gaze locked on the walkway that bypassed all of the aisles that suddenly loomed ahead like a stretch of highway with no end in sight. He shifted the phone when he heard Julia pick the handset up but then her voice was slightly muffled, which meant her hand was over the mouthpiece.

"Eddie, go put Cleopatra's box in the mudroom."

His teeth started to grind when her muted words began to filter into his ear and he shook his head. Cleopatra was Dayna's cat. That thing practically went everywhere with her. She even had a special bag she carried the thing around in. And of course, let's not forget the portable litter box. Ungh, one more reason why dogs were far superior animals.

"Edward, where were we?"

He shook his head and lifted the list up once more, opening his mouth to speak when the proverbial light bulb came on. Dayna Martin was at his house and they were baking 12 dozen cookies. And then there was the tall blonde along with Santa's elves… what were their names? Oh, right, Snowflake and Candycane. He was in trouble, big time. Arguing with her wasn't going to get him anywhere.

He sighed and dropped the list back into the cart. "I can't quite make out how many bags of hash browns you wanted," he said in a defeated tone.

"Four please. I think that'll be sufficient."

_It'd be something alright,_ he thought. _Sufficient wasn't necessarily the first word that came to mind though. _He decided to just buy the food and hope he could return the nonperishable stuff later on…. in a day or two, after all the kids were gone.

He couldn't help but smile at the sound of Julia and Maggie's voices; they were so excited about putting Tawas Lake's Christmas together. He took in a deep breath and reached for another cart. "Okay, Julia, I'm gonna be a little late." He nodded at her response and smiled. "Bye, I love you too." _Yes sir, he did, and sometimes it was downright painful._ He stared at the phone in his hand for a moment. He should probably call the boys and let them know he wasn't gonna be there right away. Ah, maybe Dean would run them down to the Walmart. He snorted quietly. "Let them haul all these groceries around," he muttered under his breath as he hit the speed dial button to call Julia's phone.

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Max stood in the small office looking at the picture frames on the wall mixed in among engine diagrams and a county map. He leaned on the corner of the desk where the computer sat as he craned his neck to look at the single picture amidst framed certificates, awards, and even a few newspaper clippings.

Dean glanced up and smacked the side of the monitor when the screen suddenly went blank and turned bright blue. "Damn, not again. This p.o.s. just died last week."

Max smiled and scratched his forehead as he motioned to the photograph on the wall. "This a picture of your girl?"

The mechanic looked up at the picture and smiled. "Yeah, that's my April. She's really artistic." He held his left arm out, proudly showing off the tattoo sleeve. "She recently started designing body art." He shook his head. "She's somethin' else, but her car? Don't get me goin' on that thing. I sometimes have it more than she does."

Max watched him as he frowned at the computer once more before he started opening up desk drawers, looking for the old-fashioned work order forms.

"Here we go. We'll just write up the order for the diagnostics on the bus and leave it here till you guys decide how to proceed." He started scratching out the order in a barely legible scribble. "I'll take a drive down 55 and hit up Shane's place on my way home, give you all a call at the Stevens' place in the mornin'."

Max nodded. "Sounds good."

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Michael was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard Max and Dean step out of the office and back into the shop. He turned his head and listened as they talked about wives and girlfriends. He heard a phone ringing and he glanced around in search of it.

"That'd be you, El Capitan," Kyle reminded him.

"No shit, Sherlock," Michael bit out as he dug around in his pocket for the phone. He stared at it for several seconds before Kyle suddenly appeared next to him to snatch it out of his hand.

"He's got a bad history with cell phones," he said when Dean glanced between the two of them. "Just ask his girlfriend."

Dean listened to the one-sided conversation, nodding when Kyle glanced up at him. "Sounds like you're gonna need a ride out to the Walmart," he said with a grin. "I need to give my girl's car a test run anyway."

Kyle relayed the information to Edward and after a few more seconds he ended the call and handed the phone back over to Michael. "He wants us to meet him in the frozen food section." He shrugged at the looks the guys gave him. "Hell, I don't know, that's where he said to meet him."

Once Dean had cleared a few things up and slammed the hood on the Jetta they all piled into the car, resuming their former seating arrangement. Michael glanced around as he pulled the seatbelt across his chest, clearly hearing Maria's voice as she recited the cost of everything Laurie Dupree had been intent on trashing while they had her locked inside the car. He had been on the phone with Max and Isabel but Maria had kept up a running commentary that he hadn't been able to block out.

"_The side mirror. One hundred bucks, not including labor."_

….

"_Sun visor. Fifteen bucks, including labor, of course."_

….

But she had lost it when Laurie had lunged for her walkman.

"_No, no, no, no, no. Now – now you're hurting all of us."_

His features sobered as he thought about her love of music. Something that in this life with him she could never pursue. He hated that she'd had to give that up for him.

"_Not the dash! Not the dash! That is a major deal to replace."_

He smiled faintly at the memory as he ran his fingertip over the dashboard.


	27. Chapter 27

**Author's Note: **We'll be posting on Sundays for the time being. RL hasn't let up so for now we're gonna take a bit of a break from posting twice weekly and shoot for Sundays.

**Part 27**

Julia smiled as Dayna and Isabel bounced ideas off of each other. It hadn't taken long to realize that the two of them were kindred spirits and this year's Christmas on the Lake was going to be something really special. They were talking about a fitting for Santa Claus and the elves and when Dayna said that the costumes were a little out of date Isabel had quickly offered to take them off of her hands and spruce them up a bit.

"Oh, your husband mentioned something about reindeer," Dayna said as she glanced up from sliding a new batch of cookies, ready for baking, across the counter for Julia. She glanced at Maggie, making sure she was out of earshot as she lowered her voice. The little girl had abandoned them halfway through the cookie marathon to play with Cleopatra. "I did a little research yesterday evening and we can have reindeer brought in but I have to confess I don't know anything about them and neither does Dave."

"That's not a problem. My brother's very knowledgeable about all sorts of animals and he can handle the reindeer."

Liz nearly choked on the cookie she had been snacking on when she heard Isabel's declaration. She had a feeling Max wouldn't be as excited as his sister was when he found out they had found actual reindeer for him to wrangle. She held a hand up when her sister-in-law shot a look in her direction.

"But first he has a tree to find."

Maria rolled her eyes when discussion of the tree diagram came into play and she exchanged a look with Liz. "I thought sure she was the only one who had that whole diagram thing going on," she whispered when she realized that Dayna was in complete agreement on the subject.

"Can you imagine Max's expression when he finds out not only did they manage to get reindeer for him to look after but he's also expected to go out and find the tree?" Liz snickered when the conversation turned to decorations and the correct ratio of popcorn to cranberries when stringing them.

"Yeah, at least you won't have to live with a cranky Santa," Maria said in a hushed voice.

Liz snorted softly. "Yeah, because a cranky reindeer wrangler's gonna be so much better."

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Dean dropped the three of them off and assured them once more that he'd give them a call the next day before he zipped out of the parking lot. Kyle nudged Max, nodding at their silent companion. Michael stared at the entrance to the local Wal-Mart, watching the shoppers as they flowed through the automatic enter and exit doors at a regular pace. With the news about the van fresh in his mind this was the last place he wanted to be. The Jetta had eased his tension for a while as he had gotten lost in his memories and neither of them had tried to draw him into the conversation, leaving him to his brief but much-needed escape.

A Salvation Army Santa Claus stood between the doors, ringing his bell and belting out a hearty Ho Ho Ho and a Merry Christmas to everyone coming and going. Many of the shoppers would pause to drop a donation into the red bucket hanging from a tripod frame beside him before continuing on their way with a smile and a candy cane from Santa. As they passed through the doors Kyle leaned over and dropped a couple dollars in the bucket and nodded in thanks when Santa handed him a candy cane. He opened it up and broke off a piece that he popped in his mouth, snapped off a section that he gave to Max, and then held out what was left to Michael.

"Here, suck on this." He grinned when that earned him a glare. "It'll improve your mood."

"Do you realize just how serious this is?" Michael snapped as he shoved Kyle's hand and his offering away. "Once that VIN gets logged it's over."

Max shook his head. "His computer's outta whack. He wrote the work order up on an old paper form." He shrugged. "I altered it while I was signing it. It'll buy us some time if his computer comes back online anytime soon." He smiled as he raised his hand, curling his fingers over to blow on them. "Which I doubt."

"That's perfect." He narrowed his eyes. "_When_ his computer's either workin' again or it's been replaced, all he's gotta do is double check the VIN on the van and he'll have that _and_ your signature. Why don't we just take out an ad on a fuckin' billboard while we're at it?"

Kyle hummed around the candy in his mouth as he shook his head and pointed off to the left where the frozen foods section could be seen. "I don't think we can afford that," he deadpanned. He glanced at Max when he didn't defend his actions. "I give, El Presidente, wanna explain?"

"Nothing to explain," Max denied. "My own mother wouldn't recognize the signature on that work order, and as far as the VIN's concerned I just inverted a couple of the numbers on the form. No, it's not like it'll buy much time once it's noticed, but I've been thinkin' about that. We don't even know where Jesse got the van but my guess is he did his best to cover his tracks… he knew what was at stake. It was pretty last minute, so there was no time for him to get it and have the title and everything transferred by the time he showed up with it that night. Besides, your dad would know how easily we could be traced through the VIN."

"You think my dad transferred ownership to someone who would never be suspected, maybe even made somethin' up," Kyle said and nodded. "That's possible."

Michael snatched what was left of the candy cane out of Kyle's hand and tore the plastic wrapping off of it. "It's possible, but we don't know for sure… this thing with the VIN is still a major problem." He grunted when someone flew out of one of the aisles and around the corner, ramming into him with their cart.

"Oh, I am soooo sorry," a woman apologized as she rushed around to make sure he was alright. "Are you okay?"

_Was he okay? After a full frontal assault?_

"Wow," Kyle mumbled around his candy cane, "that looked like it hurt." _Well, Guerin was still upright, so it couldn't be too bad,_ he decided. He smiled at the pretty brunette when she turned to look at him.

"Hi," she said, forgetting all about the victim of her dash to the registers.

_Finally! A woman who recognized a good thing when she saw it!_ Kyle thought triumphantly.

Max glanced at the bulging vein in Michael's forehead and the tic in his jaw. _It was like watching the countdown to an explosion,_ he mused. But, since an explosion was the last thing they needed at the moment he intervened in an attempt to diffuse the ticking time bomb that had just been mown down by a shopper. "He's married," he said out as she introduced herself to Kyle.

Kyle glared at him when she paused with her hand partially extended in greeting. "Shut up, Evans." He smiled at the woman and shook his head. "You can ignore him."

"I don't think my sister would appreciate you flirting with another woman while she's at home with the twins. Jeez, man, she sent you out to pick up cough medicine for your kids… no wonder she wanted me to go with you." He put his most sincere expression on and looked at the woman. "You'll excuse us, won't you?"

She shook her head at Kyle and started to walk away, hauling her overburdened grocery cart behind her.

"You should be ashamed of yourself, young man."

Michael snorted when an elderly woman poked Kyle's leg with her cane as she passed him. They were saved from the speech he was sure she was warming up to when Edward suddenly appeared with two carts already in the stages of being filled.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The conversation stalled when they heard doors slamming and before long the back door opened and Edward walked in laden down with grocery sacks. Julia gave him a kiss and leaned in to whisper in his ear, "Your favorite overly-brown cutout cookies are in the tin on the counter," as she reached for a couple of them, relieving him of his burden.

"How'd it go at the dealership?" Maria asked. She watched Michael's features, seeing the answer written there.

Isabel looked over at Michael and Max when they unloaded their sacks and she craned her neck, looking for the third musketeer. "Where's Kyle?"

Max snorted as he twisted his hand to free it from the handle on one of the sacks. "He's gonna be a minute or so. He's um," he snickered, "he's got a monster frozen turkey in his lap and he's buried under several more things too." He turned to look at her. "The van's beyond repair, but we've got a couple of options to consider."

Maggie came running into the kitchen, eager to see what was in the bags. She was making her way over to Michael when Mama called her, telling her to stay back and let the guys get inside with the groceries. Edward took the momentary break to call the boys to come and unpack the groceries. While Brian was relieved to have the guys back, Eddie looked a little put out that Maria's attention was no longer his.

Maria's gaze stayed on Michael as he fought with a bag that kept trying to tip over and she could tell it was only further trying his patience. She glanced down at the next gingerbread man in line to be decorated and a slow smile appeared as she grabbed a tube of icing and the sprinkles.

"Michael," she called after a minute or so of working on her creation.

He came up behind her to slip his arms around her waist, lowering his head to nuzzle her neck when he caught Eddie's expression. _Poor kid didn't even know what was happening to him._ He smirked when the boy was called away by his dad and he glanced down when Maria's head settled against his neck. "Great decorating job," he grinned, taking in the warm gingerbread man cookie with Kyle's name written vertically down the torso and two tiny blue sprinkles placed… strategically.

"Well, you did say the poor guy had a lapful of frozen turkey."

He smirked and pressed a kiss against her cheek before taking his cookie and turning around. "C'mon, Maxwell, we'd better give your brother-in-law a hand with that bird."

Max was listening to his sister and Dayna as they rattled off ideas at a rate that made his head spin. Liz was helping Julia with the groceries and discussing the preparations for lunch so he brushed his hand over her arm on his way out the door behind Michael. He laughed out loud before shaking his head when his friend showed off his gingerbread man. "Maria's got a sick sense of humor."

"I know."

They rounded the hood of the truck just as a sack full of bread and dinner rolls flew out through the open back door followed by a sack of potato chips.

"Jeez, Valenti, what's your hurry?"

Kyle glared at Max since he was the first one to appear. "I've got a block of ice freezin' everything south of the border so if you guys wanna get a move on I'd appreciate it." He was wedged into his seat and packed in by so many sacks of groceries that he could barely move.

"Check it out," Michael said as he sat in the front passenger's seat and reached back to show off Maria's creation. "Maria made one that looks like you."

"Huh," Kyle grunted, his eyes narrowing at the two miniscule blue sprinkles, "it does almost look like me but there's one difference."

Michael turned it around to look at it. "I don't know. Similarities are pretty obvious."

Kyle lunged forward as well as he could to snatch it out of his hand and take a big bite of it. "Damn thing was too tall," he mumbled and handed it back.

"Hell, I'm not gonna eat it now that you've slobbered all over it."

"Whatever."

Michael snapped off the lower half of the cookie and tossed it to Kyle. "C'mon, let's get the rest of this haul into the house. I heard somethin' about lunch bein' ready before long." He pointed at one of the sacks that had been kept separate. "That one needs to go down to our cabin."

"Yeah, and the other one goes to ours," Max said, nodding at one stuffed against the door on the floor behind the drivers' seat.

Kyle leveled a look at them. "Is this your way of askin' me to carry your crap down to your cabins? If it is you both need to work on it." He glared at each of them in turn. "Get this frozen turkey carcass off my nuts and I'll haul your crap down to your cabins."

"Oh, right." Max leaned in and started to unbury Kyle from his grocery cocoon.

"Hey, watch out for my stuff," Michael growled when a sack of cans landed dangerously close to his grocery sack.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Edward sighed as he settled back in his recliner, feet propped up on the footrest just as Julia came into the living room with his favorite sandwich on a plate and a cup of hot chocolate. He looked up at her, taking in her happy smile and the sparkle in her eyes. _Is this my reward or just bait for another mission to help put Christmas on the Lake together? Ah, who was he kidding?_ She was just so damn beautiful and he knew it was a lost cause trying to understand the why of it.

As he took in his favorite sandwich piled high with ham and Swiss, slathered with horsey sauce, cut in half and separated with a small mountain of chips in between them his mind started screaming. _No, no, no! Whatever it is, no!_ But he knew better. Here he was in his favorite chair and she was waiting on him with her bright, shining smile. He was so glad to see her and especially Maggie excited about Christmas again. He glanced at his boys where they were huddled up over the fixings for lunch, shoving each other and generally making a mess of things while making their sandwiches. They weren't as overt about it but he knew they were excited that Christmas on the Lake would be making an appearance this year.

He was settling in and getting ready to chow down when the others started to filter in, one and two at a time. He let them find their way around the room and take their seats, paying little attention to anything being said as he focused on his food.

Max grabbed Isabel's arm when Dayna excused herself for a moment and he pulled her aside.

"What are you doing?" Isabel demanded.

"Are you out of your mind?" he hissed.

"What are you talking about?"

"I don't know anything about animals and I know even less about reindeer! You told that woman I could handle reindeer!"

Isabel waved him off. "Didn't we cover this the other night?" Her eyes gleamed as she grinned from ear to ear. "Imagine all the children's faces when they see real live reindeer, Max! And you'll get to be a part of that." She made another waving motion with her free hand. "Now go eat. You'll want to make sure you've had a good meal before you go out with Michael to find a tree this afternoon."

Michael blocked the doorway as he came to a stop and stared at Isabel. "What?" he mumbled around a mouthful of potato chips.

"Dayna said there's a Christmas tree farm just a couple miles away."

He stared at his sister. "Well, can't you just send Kyle?"

"Max," she said patiently, "Kyle has other things to do. He's my assistant and that means I need him here to help out with other things."

"That's right, El Presidente… assistant, got it?" Kyle asked as he squeezed between Michael and Max.

Michael thumped the back of Kyle's head as he passed him. "Yeah, y'know what the first three letters of assistant is?"

"Yes, Santa," he said with a grin, "Kyle can spell. Does Santa know the definition of the word assistant?" Without waiting for a response he wandered into the living room and took a seat on the floor next to the coffee table.

Michael let the subject drop, deciding that if he just ignored it Isabel might forget it. He dropped down in the second recliner and caught Maria's hand when she came into the room, tugging her down to sit in his lap. He wrapped one arm around her loosely and balanced his plate on the arm of the chair.

Eddie slowed down, glancing sideways at the couple until his brother pushed him from behind. "Cut it out, doofus," he muttered.

"Well, move outta the way," Brian

Maggie walked up to the couple in the recliner with the cat cradled in her arms and she smiled at Michael. "Cleopatra is Mrs. Dayna's kitty." She lowered her head to whisper in the cat's ear. "This's Michael an' he knows Santa. And that's Maria, she's his…" She paused, unsure of what to say and pursing her lips as she looked up at them.

Maria spoke up. "I'm his girlfriend," she said, squeezing his arm before reaching out to pet the tuxedo-marked cat.

The little girl smiled at him. "Would you like to hold her?" She placed the cat on the part of Michael's lap that Maria wasn't taking up as she continued. "Cleopatra has a twin sister. Her name is Christina an' she's Mrs. Tony's kitty. She loves to eat cake, the yellow kind with frosting," she rattled on. "Christina doesn't like cake but she likes to eat Fritos corn chips." She turned around, searching for Mama. "If it's okay with Mrs. Dayna can I… um, may I have a little Debbie cake to share with Cleopatra?"

With affirmative answers all around Maggie disappeared to collect the snack cake and Dayna and Isabel paid little attention to their lunch as they took turns filling out the daily planner. Kyle leaned over every once in a while to point things out or make suggestions and much to Max and Michael's displeasure most of those helpful suggestions involved them in some form or other.

"Um, Iz, how do you suggest we go and get a tree?" Max asked after he had watched the two women and their assistant fill out every page for the next six days. As he had listened to them bouncing ideas off of each other he had learned that Christmas on the Lake would take place next Saturday.

"You'll go to the tree farm a couple of miles away and you'll find one that meets the parameters of the diagram… and then you'll cut it down and bring it back."

Michael frowned at that. In the past hour he had heard Dayna reaffirm that she had gotten permission from Mrs. Tony to use the place for Christmas on the Lake but it was everything that had followed that had put the sour expression on his face. The list was packed full of things like plowing Mr. Tony's long driveway to the house and the barn and apparently they were expected to go out and shovel ice? He hadn't signed up for any of that! Then there were the decorations stored in the barn, pulling them down and getting them set up.

Isabel was at her radiant best as she assigned tasks and as usual she had no problem assigning them to anyone and everyone. She was an equal opportunity enslaver and they had all been given jobs for the next six days. Kyle was enjoying the hell out of being her assistant, knowing that he might be run ragged for the duration of this insanity but he wouldn't be doing the more menial jobs the rest of them were expected to do. And if he happened to get stuck with one of those jobs for any reason at least he wouldn't be stuck wearing a ridiculous outfit.

Edward had been silent, mulling over Max's question for several minutes. "You boys can take the snowmobiles out and head down to the farm, pick out that tree an' bring it back." _Anything to keep him from being sent back out on another Christmas mission._

"Can I go help cut down Santa's tree, Daddy?" Maggie asked.

"I think we'll let Michael and Max handle that," he answered, trying not to smile at the look of extreme disappointment on her face.

"You're comin' with me," Michael whispered into Maria's ear. He tightened his arm around her, holding her closer. "Non-negotiable."

Maria smiled, enjoying the feel of his arm around her. She rested her head on his shoulder and inhaled his scent. It wasn't like they were going out to pick out their own tree, but she had never gone out to an actual tree farm. Back home she and her mom had always stopped in at the Christmas tree lot. This was so much more exciting!


	28. Chapter 28

**Author's Note: **A few lines in this part were borrowed from the Season Two Roswell episode "We Are Family".

**Part 28**

Michael led the way into the garage and he glanced over his shoulder at the others, annoyed when he realized that Maria and Liz had fallen way behind and were chattering like a couple of girls. He snorted to himself. Scratch that thought. He looked at Max when he stopped right behind him. "They need to learn how to operate these things," he insisted.

"Okay," Max said agreeably.

Michael's mouth was hanging open, expecting opposition and prepared to continue with his argument. His eyes narrowed. "What'd you just say?" he asked suspiciously.

"You're right."

His mouth snapped shut and he just shook his head as he walked inside to study the gear.

Liz nudged her best friend as they walked side by side. They had been excitedly discussing their tree hunting excursion until they had noticed Michael's look back at them. "So, how're you and Michael doing?" She bit her lip for a moment as she smiled at Max and he disappeared into the shadowy interior of the garage. "I mean, he's been so… I don't now…" She pinched her lips together between her teeth as she carefully chose her words.

"I don't know, Liz. He's so tense about our safety that it's hard to tell what he's thinking as far as our relationship's concerned." She looked at the other girl. "Looks like you and Max are doing just fine. He never leaves your side and the honeymoon seems to be in full swing, girlfriend."

"That part's good," Liz blushed as she responded quietly. "Real good."

"Hey, you two wanna get a move on?" Michael asked as he stuck his head out the door. "It's bad enough we're even doin' this, but now you're out here yakkin' it up and wastin' time."

"You know, some people would just relax and enjoy the chance to be off the road," Liz said as she squeezed past him.

"Why don't you zip it, Candycane," he snapped. "The royal wrangler's waitin' for you."

She just rolled her eyes and went over to her husband, nodding when he motioned for her to just ignore Michael and let it pass.

"You know, we're gonna talk about this attitude of yours, Santa," Maria said.

"Whatever, you two need to get geared up so we can get outta here. Now let's go." He just looked at her when she shook her head at him.

Maria decided to drop it for the moment. There was no point in getting into an argument in front of anyone else. She gave him that look that said this conversation wasn't over before going inside to get ready.

Nearly 20 minutes later Michael swung his right leg over the seat, his gaze critically scanning over the placement of Maria's hands and feet as she sat in front of him. He had gone over the proper startup several times and if her expression was anything to go by she was ready to yank one of the skis off and beat him with it. He leaned in and pointed to the cord that ran from the key to the steering column. "Kill switch, what's that do again?"

Maria shivered when his breath brushed against her cheek. She turned to yell over the idling engine, "It kills the engine!" She shook her head in annoyance as she glanced at Max and Liz. Was Max giving her the third degree? No, he was using the lesson as an opportunity to flirt and tease the love of his life. And the love of her life? Well, he was cramming the lesson down her throat repeatedly because he obviously felt that as the only human she wasn't capable of even grasping such a simple concept. She could just kick herself for her warm and fuzzy thoughts when she had been sitting in the living room with his arm around her.

"You remember where the brake is and how to use it?"

She huffed in irritation and faced front as she put her helmet on.

He reached around her to indicate the brake on the left side and she immediately shoved his hand away.

Michael smirked at the feisty tone in her voice. She had surprised him with the ease that she had shown starting the snowmobile up as quickly as she had. He could hear the pride in her voice below her annoyance with him for pushing her about the operation of the vehicle. He was only doing it for her own good and in spite of her irritation he momentarily forgot about the FBI and the necessity of learning things like this on the off chance they had to run.

Liz glanced over at the other couple as Michael spoke to Maria, pointing at different parts of the snowmobile from time to time. "Um, Max, what's going on?" she asked as she finished getting ready.

He smiled and motioned to the snowmobile waiting for them. "Nothin' much. We just thought it'd be a good idea for our girls to know how to ride these machines." He took her by the hand and pulled her in for a kiss, pulling away before her knees had time to go weak. He led her over to the snowmobile and took his time teaching her what to do to operate the thing. He teased and flirted his way through it, his body moving in close but not touching, his breath whispering against her skin, and using innuendo at every opportunity.

"You really want me to learn this?" she asked uncertainly.

She watched him as he straddled the snowmobile, recognizing the look on his face. He had worn the same expression that day in the back of the Crashdown when they had dumped fresh strawberries all over the floor. His eyes and his voice were positively hypnotic as he spoke and she had no idea if she'd remember a damn thing about operating the snowmobile, but she wouldn't forget this moment and him.

"It's worth learnin' to ride, Liz, and it's a great ride." He hooked his thumb over his shoulder to indicate the sled hooked to their machine. "We'll have to take it slow though. Michael refused to be slowed down by the sled and we've gotta have somethin' to haul that tree back with." His voice dropped as he gave her that look where he lowered his head and looked up at her through his eyelashes. "You do enjoy a slow ride, right?"

_He was so sexy and charming sometimes. Yeah, she'd be lucky if she remembered how to start the engine at this rate,_ she thought. "I do enjoy a good slow ride," she murmured as she moved closer to him. "I also prefer it more one on one and without so many layers."

Max held his breath, wondering if Liz truly understood the power that she had over him. She still made his palms sweat and his body quickened when she gave him that little teasing sideways glance as she seated herself in front of him.

Maria glanced at the other couple and rolled her eyes. _Liz and Max could make out over anything,_ she mused.

"You're sure you've got the brake thing down, right?" Michael asked as he pulled his helmet on.

She sighed in annoyance. She was gonna show her Spaceboy a thing or two about her ability to take care of herself. She thumbed the lever on the throttle as she turned her head to watch him finish strapping his helmet on before flipping the switch and shooting out of the garage.

His left arm loosened as they neared the end of the driveway and she knew he was about to reach for the brake. If she weren't so pissed off at him she might have thought it was sweet or maybe just rolled her eyes in fond exasperation, but she was. She beat him to the brake, stopping them smoothly at the highway and then they were off again in search of the Barry Tree Farm.

Michael leaned into her, snaking his arms around her. He knew he could easily reach the brake with his left hand if it became necessary, so he let himself enjoy the ride. He knew the tree farm was only about two miles down the road in the opposite direction from Big Dave's Hardware and the snowmobile under Maria's urging was quickly eating up the distance. His eyebrows shot up when her speed increased and a bush that had seemed to be the size of a quarter suddenly loomed ahead of them.

"Bush, bush!" he shouted, certain she hadn't seen it yet.

Maria felt his left arm tightening around her and his right arm relaxing as if he were about to take control.

"Oh, hell no, Spaceboy!" She sharply throttled down and made the curve to miss the bush, feeling proud of herself as his right arm tightened once more.

They whizzed past tons of fir trees along the road and she wondered where the tree farm was. Not too far ahead she could see a large sign with arrows and she headed straight for it, positive it was the entrance to the farm. She pulled into the drive, coming to a smooth stop right in front of a sign that read 'The Mystery Spot?' She bit her lips to keep from laughing when Michael turned his head and came helmet to nose with the large oval-headed green alien on the sign.

He stared at the offensive picture and suddenly found himself sitting in the backseat of the Jetta, face to face with a large green inflatable alien head that had just popped up out of a cardboard box. She had been antagonistic with him in the garage because he was trying to show her how to properly operate the snowmobile, then she had totally missed the driveway for the farm, and now here they were. "That's just fantastic, a freak show next door to a Christmas tree farm."

"So what? It's a tourist trap, Michael."

"The point is you totally overshot the driveway because you're not listenin' to me!"

"I'm not gonna sit here and argue with – "

"Shh!"

She was just about to push ahead with the argument when she heard the sound he had turned his head to catch. The other snowmobile! Max and Liz were catching up with them!

"C'mon, they're gonna beat us and we left first and were goin' faster!"

Maria leaned back into him when he started to get up, his intention to take over and drive obvious. And so incorrect. She thumbed the throttle lever once again and they were pulling into the right driveway within seconds, just barely beating the other couple. She stood up, feeling all powerful as she turned to face him. He was already ranting, but the words were lost on her when he reached up to jerk his helmet off, shaking his head so that his long hair fell loose, reminding her of the day he had ridden up on his bike to say goodbye.

Michael glanced at the little red barn that the family obviously used as their base of operations. He turned to walk up to the open doors with Maria hurrying to catch up with him. He could see the tables lined up inside; wisps of steam rose from a crock pot of hot apple cider, a couple of plates filled with donuts sat on either side of it along with a stack of napkins and disposable cups.

"Hey there, y'all lookin' for a tree?"

Michael cringed inwardly when he recognized the owner of the voice.

"Well, hey, look who it is," Buckeye said as he grinned widely and hurried up to them. He shook Michael's hand and introduced himself to the young woman with him. "Here for a tree?"

"Yes," Maria said with a smile. "My friends and I are helping with Christmas on the Lake."

"Neat." He nodded at the doors behind them. "Must be your friends," he commented when he saw the second couple.

"How'd you know that?" Michael asked.

Buckeye lifted his right hand to point at the right front corner of the snowmobiles. "They're marked. See the shadowed S's there? That's for Stevens Sanctuary, they don't normally have guests this time of year, an' you're both drivin' their machines, so…" he grinned.

"Right, well…"

He pushed his baseball cap back and smiled. "Well, you folks probably wanna warm up a bit before ya head out to find your tree."

"Buckeye… aren't you the guy that towed our van the other day?" Maria asked.

Michael tried to motion to Maria when she opened her big mouth and started talking. Hadn't he warned her the other day that this guy could talk about anything, everything and nothing?

"Yup, that's me," he answered. "I work here part-time, helpin' out with the trees. Didja know that the first decorated Christmas tree was in Latvia in 1510?" He nodded to himself. "Yup, it's a fact."

"Wow, really?"

Michael grabbed her arm and tugged her back toward the doors before Mr. Encyclopedia could answer. "We've gotta check on our friends." He glared at Maria when they reached the parking lot and she pulled her arm free. "Didn't I tell you he talks too much about nothin'? Why would you encourage that?"

Maria opened her mouth to blast him for being so rude but before she could get a word out Max spoke up.

"Wow, we thought you guys were way ahead of us."

Michael frowned at the tiny bits of twigs and pieces of greenery stuck to their clothes. "What'd you…" he snorted. "Candycane drive through that bush back there?"

"It was in the middle of the path," Liz muttered as she shook her head to shake her hair loose.

"Let's just say the bush is no longer blocking the path," Max said as he draped his arm around his wife's shoulders and shot a look at Michael. "Let's go get this tree thing done so we can get back home."

Michael bit his tongue at the slip, but only because Maria nailed him in the center of his back with her helmet. "Whatever."

"So, you drove through the bush, huh?" Maria teased Liz as they stood next to the table, ladling a couple cups of hot cider. "What exactly were you and Max doing that you didn't see that bush?"

"Shut up!" Liz said, blushing.

"Um-hmm."

Michael was impatiently waiting nearby as Max talked to Buckeye and Carl Barry, the owner of the farm. Carl was an easy-going man of medium build and he was very proud of his business. It was obvious he had a great love of the land and he cared about what he did for a living. He rolled his eyes as the conversation turned to saws and trees and before long Max and Liz were picking through the selection of saws available to customers and fawning over each other throughout the entire process.

Maria moved to take his hand, pulling him with her over to the table and handing him a cup of the hot cider. She reached over to snag a fresh cookie off of the plate that had been put out just minutes before and put it in his free hand. "Just relax, Michael."

"Relax? The two of them are practically havin' sex over there."

She wrinkled her nose at him. "Be nice or I'll call Buckeye over here and ask him if he knows anymore facts about Christmas trees. Look, just try to relax. We're in the middle of nowhere looking for a Christmas tree. We're gonna enjoy a few days of not running, just celebrate Christmas and if we're lucky, enjoy a few days of leftovers before we have to run again."

"Say, speakin' of leftovers," Buckeye said as he came up beside them to get some cider, "didja know that it's been estimated that spoiled Christmas leftovers are actually responsible for like 400,000 cases of food poisoning every year?" He nodded and lifted his cup up. "Yup, it's a fact."

Max and Liz joined them just as Buckeye wandered off and Liz shook her head. "I could've done without that little tidbit of information."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Isabel and Dayna were conspiring over the next weeks' activities while Kyle tossed in his two cents every so often. The timetable was nearly complete and he had been amazed at how easily the two women fell into sync. The way their minds worked was a little bit scary. The amount of work they had to do to pull this thing together was insane and he knew the next week was going to be hectic.

They had filled in every available time slot for the next six days in Dayna's trusty planner and then moved on to a notebook Julia had produced. He was surprised there was any ink left in their pens as much as they had used up already. He glanced at the chair Edward had occupied earlier and wondered where he and the boys had gotten off to. He knew Julia had called Maggie to help her with some things before dinner but he suspected that she was giving them time to get the plans hammered out. He tuned back into the conversation when the topic of the costumes came up again.

"You're sure you don't mind trying to sort out the costumes?" Dayna asked.

He snorted silently. _Like Isabel would risk the costumes not being perfect,_ he thought. He could just imagine what she would put them through while making sure the costumes were right. Well, not _them_, just Santa, Snowflake, Candycane and the Chief Reindeer Wrangler. As the Christmas Nazi's assistant he was given immunity from any sort of elf-like costume that the others would be forced to parade around in. He was mentally congratulating himself on his good fortune when he heard his name and realized Isabel and Dayna were talking about him.

He bit his lip as he tried to figure out what they were talking about when they looked at him expectantly, their eyebrows raised as they waited for an answer. _Oh, what had she just asked him?_ He cleared his throat as he glanced between the two of them. His answer was either going to be the right one or a very, very wrong one. "Well, no…" The warning bells went off when Isabel's eyes narrowed slightly. _Wrong answer, wrong answer, wrong answer!_ "No, not no, just… no, I don't see any problems with that." He breathed a silent _whew!_ when their manic smiles returned and he wondered what he had just agreed to.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Michael stood at the back of the barn, staring at the rows and rows of snow with plowed paths running between them. He could see trees here and there but there didn't appear to be any of significant size. He glanced to the side when Max joined him and he blew out a heavy breath that misted on the cold air when he realized he was pulling out the tree design. _If they weren't so close to other people he'd incinerate that damn thing._ He shook his head at the saw and small shovel Max was carrying.

"Where're the girls?" he asked as he relieved him of the shovel.

"They'll be here in a minute. They needed to make a quick trip to the ladies room." Max held the diagram up before looking past it to the hills before them. He frowned and turned slightly, looking in another direction. "Didn't they say the trees were back here?"

Michael nodded to a little tree to the right. "What's wrong with that one?"

"Besides the fact that it's about four feet too short? I don't know about you but the reindeer thing's gonna be bad enough."

"Do you have a point?" Michael growled.

"Yeah," Max snorted, "I'm not angling for the job of the angel on top of the tree."

A slow smirk showed up on Michael's face at that comment.

"You'll wanna head up a bit further," Buckeye said as he passed them, lugging a freshly-cut tree. "Little late in the season, so the trees are gonna be a bit of a walk." He pointed at the treeline in the distance as he glanced over the diagram Max held. "Nice picture… you draw that yourself?"

Max glanced at the picture of the tree with its precise lines and measurements. "Uh, no."

"Huh." He gave it one last glance before nodding at the treeline. "'Bout a quarter mile in you'll find some real nice trees. It'll be worth the walk."

"The girls will just love that," Michael muttered.

"Well, at least there aren't any bugs out this time of year," Max said, looking at it from a positive angle.

"Say, didja know findin' a spider web on your tree on Christmas mornin' brings good luck?"

"That a fact?" Michael asked before the guy could spout off his parting line.

Buckeye pushed his baseball cap back and grinned widely. "That's what they say." He nodded at the girls when they finally made their way around to the back of the barn. "Well, I've gotta get this tree ready for the family that cut it down so we'll see y'all in a bit."

Michael watched him walk away as he snatched the diagram out of Max's hand. "Let's get this over with. The longer this takes, the more outta control the Christmas Nazi's getting. We're gonna get back to find reindeer, friggin' elves, and knowin' your sister, a popcorn and cranberry assembly line."

Maria and Liz were walking arm in arm as they admired the scenery. "It's just so amazing, isn't it?" she asked, awed by the breathtaking scenery.

Michael glanced over his shoulder. "You two wanna get a move on?"

She pointedly ignored him and after a moment he and Max headed down one of the plowed rows in search of the perfect Christmas tree. She and Liz followed at a more sedate pace, admiring their surroundings and talking. "You know, Liz, if he could just enjoy this moment. We're here in this beautiful place, sleeping in real beds, actually sitting down at a real table for dinner…"

"You know, it's funny," Liz said when Maria fell silent. "I used to imagine what my first Christmas would be like when Max and I were on our own. It is beautiful here, but this isn't anything like what I had ever imagined."

Maria was about to respond when she took a step off of the path and as her right foot came down she was plunged into the snow and she yelped loudly. Liz scrambled to keep a hold on her arm and in the end they both went down, landing in the snow and laughing like crazy.

"Hey, Frick and Frack, you two wanna quit playin' in the snow and c'mon?" Michael demanded from the safety of the path. His heart had started pounding as soon as he'd heard her but by the time he had reached her he had realized what had happened.

"I don't think I can get up," Maria said, exchanging a look with Liz and laughing even harder at the absurdity of their situation when she realized her friend was in the same state.

He rolled his eyes and carefully made his way over to them, nearly getting knocked over by Max as he rushed to help his wife. He shook his head and bit back the words on the tip of his tongue when the other couple started making their way back up to the path, unaware of Maria shooing them off. He reached for her hand to pull her up and she surprised him when she hooked one foot behind his knee and jerked, unbalancing him and causing him to fall forward.

"You're way too cranky, Spaceboy," she said as he stared down at her, breathing hard after just barely catching himself before he fell on top of her. "I realize how serious our situation is, but you need to take it down a notch or two."

His gaze traced over her features, taking in her playfully sparkling green eyes, her reddened cheeks, and the smile on the most gorgeous pair of lips he'd ever seen. He slowly lowered his head for a kiss, drawing it out and wishing they were anywhere but lying in the snow. "You're gonna catch a cold playin' in the snow like that," he chastised breathlessly when he pulled back.

Maria could hear the smile in his voice and it made her smile in response. "Guess you'll just have to make sure I stay nice an' warm, huh?" She raised one hand to push against his chest. "This stuff is kinda cold."

They got to their feet and back on the path, dusting each other off as they looked around for their friends. They went in search of Max and Liz and found them without too much work, and they set out once again in search of the perfect Christmas tree.

Half an hour later the girls were huddled together, freezing, and just waiting to go back to the house. Michael glanced at Maria and frowned when she shivered. Deciding he had let Max obsess over the diagram long enough he snatched it out of his hands and tore it to shreds before handing it back to him. He turned and stalked off, walking over to the second tree they had looked at, declaring it perfect. "This's the one we're takin'." He used the shovel to clear an area around the base of the tree and then motioned to it. "Go on."

"What?"

Max's expression would have been comical if it weren't for the fact that Maria was freezing and they still had to get back to the snowmobiles. He could see the exhaustion on her features after the tiring trek to find the trees. The walk itself wasn't that bad, but trudging through the deep snow was a tiring experience. He nodded at the saw Max was holding. "You think that thing's just there for decoration? Get your royal ass under that tree and start sawin'."

Max looked down at the saw and then at the tree. "Well… alright." He dropped down and crawled up under the tree, contorting his body as he tried to figure out how the process would work best.

"Is it just me or is it getting colder?" Maria asked after 20 minutes.

Liz shivered and huddled closer to her. She couldn't remember ever being this cold before. Against her will her mind shifted to a night that felt like a lifetime ago when she and Maria had been together with Alex after he had returned from what they had believed to be a student exchange to Sweden.

It had been cold that night, but not nearly this cold. They had gathered on her rooftop to hang out with Alex and she could almost hear Maria going on about the food and what would follow if it didn't freeze. She felt the lump in her throat as her memory brought his voice to mind and she could almost hear him speaking as he gently taunted them in a way that was so Alex.

"_Yeah, you know what? You guys are sissies, 'cause after a winter in Sweden, this weather is downright balmy."_

Michael was gritting his teeth as he listened to the monotonous sound the saw made as the worn-down teeth chewed through the trunk of the tree at a painfully slow pace. He glanced at the girls once more and saw Maria wrap her arms tighter around herself.

"Just for the record," Maria chattered, "I really, really hate Isabel right now."

"Max, give it a rest, it's my turn."

Max's muffled voice wafted up from below the tree. "What?"

Michael kicked his friend's feet. "Max!"

He squirmed back out from underneath the tree. "Keep it up and we're gonna be here all night, Michael." He frowned when Michael crouched down beside him and when he saw him look around them and then hold his hand out toward the tree Max scrambled back out of the way.

The severed trunk groaned as it gave way to gravity and tipped back to fall on the ground. He crouched down beside it and ran his hand over the stump and the bottom of the trunk, shaving them so that tooth marks from the saw and a pile of sawdust was left behind as evidence.

"C'mon, let's get this thing outta here."

The two of them grabbed onto thick lower branches and gave it a pull to get started, hauling it behind them as they headed back to the closest path that would lead them to the barn. Maria was at his side, using him for a shield against the wind that would kick up from time to time.

"Remember what I said about you keepin' me warm?"

"I've got it covered," he growled in her ear.

The walk back to the barn seemed to take forever but as they finally stumbled into the clear area around the red structure Buckeye came ambling over to them. "Here, why don't I take that for ya? I'll get it wrapped and tied down on your sled so you can get goin'. It'll be dark soon and you'll wanna be back over to the Stevens' place by nightfall."

Michael didn't bother arguing with him, releasing his hold on the heavy tree and ushering Maria toward the open door of the barn. At least they would be in out of the wind and she could have a hot drink to help her warm up before they had to make the drive back. It wasn't long before Buckeye had them ready to go and Michael held Maria against him as he watched the other man securing the tree to the sled.

Maria nudged him when the owner of the tree farm approached them and she smiled at the man she had met earlier. "Hi, Carl."

He nodded, turning to watch Buckeye for a moment before looking at them once more. He pulled one of his gloves off and held his hand out to Michael, smiling when the younger man shook his hand. "I just wanted to thank you all for your part in making Christmas on the Lake happen this year. It means a lot to us 'round here."

Michael shifted uncomfortably and forced a smile, nodding when Maria nudged him. He knew how to handle people who were rude or angry, but when it came to people who were sincere and simply wanted to express their gratitude he was clueless.

Buckeye came inside, shoving his gloves in his back pocket. "Y'all are good to go. You'll wanna take it easy headin' back." He shook the guys' hands and grinned. "We'll be seein' you."

Michael nodded, trying not to think what came to mind but unable to stop it. _"Y'all come back now, ya hear?"_ He snorted and took Maria's hand, leading her out to the snowmobile and taking the drivers' seat, smiling when she plastered herself to his back to soak up any heat and using him as a windbreak.


	29. Chapter 29

Part 29

Michael put the last of their gear away and turned to look at the 7-foot tree tied down to the sled and then back at Maria. She was huddled up against Liz, just waiting for the guys to be finished so they could go. There was no way he was dragging that thing so much as another inch. His intention had been to get back, drop off the tree, and head down to their cabin for some time away from everyone else but Maria was really cold and the house was a shorter distance to walk.

He reached for her hand as he neared them, tugging her along with him as he pushed the garage door open. He winced at the high pitched squeal it gave as it rolled along the track and hurried to put himself between Maria and the worst of the blowing wind. He left it up to Max to handle securing the garage and started the walk up to the house. It didn't take long before he heard the other couple behind them and they hurried to the back door, stomping their feet as they crossed the porch.

His hand wrapped around the doorknob and gave it a turn. As he ushered Maria inside the warmth from the kitchen hit them along with the aroma of lasagna cooking and his stomach rumbled in response. He ignored it in favor of unzipping his coat, shoving his gloves in the pockets and turning to Maria. He brushed her hands aside, stopping her fumbling attempts to work the buttons on her coat and started to work on her outer gear. She was shaking from the cold, which worried him. Growing up in the desert he didn't know much about cold weather but he knew enough to know it could be dangerous.

Michael grabbed the lapels of her coat and pulled her away from the door as Max and Liz went about ridding themselves of their outerwear as well. As soon as he had her out of her gear and he had haphazardly hung it up he pulled her up against his body, wrapping his coat around her.

Eddie was watching them with undisguised interest and after a moment of staring at Maria he turned to look at his mom. "Hey, Mom…"

Julia turned away from the stove to glance at their guests and she motioned to Eddie. "Go."

Edward was following Julia around the kitchen as she worked, trying to be nosy and generally making a pest of himself. He and the boys had spent the afternoon plowing the driveways over at Mr. Tony's place and then snow blowing the ice rink on the lake. Now he was just waiting for his favorite dinner to be put on the table.

Eddie ran back into the kitchen carrying a blanket. "Mom's heating blanket," he said with a smile as he walked past Maria. "It'll warm you up."

Edward was paying little attention to his son as he walked up behind his wife to look over her shoulder. He smirked when she swatted his hip. "Snow plowing 18 inches of snow out of Mr. Tony's driveway and then snow blowing the lake has its price, woman."

"Why don't you go out and bring that tree up to the house so we can take a look at it," Julia suggested.

"Well, it's just in the garage. We can just go out there to…" he trailed off when she gave him _that_ look. "Or I can just go and haul it up to the house."

Michael made quick work of getting out of his outerwear, ignoring the conversation around him as he hurried after Maria. She had wasted no time following her young admirer and he nearly rolled his eyes when he saw the boy shaking the blanket out and preparing to drape it over Maria where she was sitting in the recliner they had occupied earlier that day.

"I've got that, thanks," he said, intercepting before Eddie had the opportunity to tuck Maria in.

"M-M-Michael," Maria chattered in an attempt to chastise him.

He just took her hand and tugged her to her feet with his free hand as he dropped the blanket on the arm of the chair. He took a seat and pulled her down on his lap, kicking the footrest out and reaching for the blanket, flicking his wrist to shake it open and draping it over her.

Maria sighed contentedly as his arms came around her and the heat from the blanket began to warm her up. She snuggled deeper into his embrace, resting her head against his chest and letting the reassuring beat of his heart lull her to sleep. Michael rested his chin on her head and closed his eyes, listening to Isabel's voice as she and Dayna discussed something about decorations as they came into the kitchen.

He heard the back door open and shut several times before Isabel led the way into the living room, her attention now focused on the tree they had apparently just viewed. Her minions followed in her wake, Kyle wearing a look of shellshock and Max paying little attention to his sister as he picked the last of the bush particles out of his wife's hair.

"So we have a tree," Isabel was saying as she turned to look at her brother. "Did you use the diagram?"

Michael shifted slightly, his arms tightening just a bit around Maria as her shivering finally subsided. It felt good to hold her like this, to know that he had been able to take care of her and make sure she was warm. His eyes slid closed and he allowed himself to slip into a light slumber when the subject of the diagram came up because he wasn't going to be responsible for his actions if Max ratted him out and told her the diagram had been decimated prior to tree approval.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was Maggie who came in to wake them up a while later, holding Miss Cindy and Cleopatra. "Mama says it's time for dinner," she said as she leaned on the arm of the chair.

Michael cracked one eye open to look at the trio and he nodded, watching the little girl as she scampered back to the kitchen at her mother's call. He glanced down at Maria, sleeping in his arms so trustingly and he felt the familiar feelings of protectiveness and love wash over him. He ran his fingertip across Maria's bottom lip, watching her as she made a face and burrowed her forehead against his shoulder.

"M'ria." He drew her name out, his voice low as he teased her awake. "Hey, Maggie says it's time for dinner," he continued when she started to stretch. "We don't have to stay though; I've got food for us back at the cabin."

"Ooooh, the smell in here's so wonderful though," she murmured. "It's Italian, Michael."

He gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Yeah, I kinda knew I'd lose out on this one."

As they walked into the kitchen they saw Isabel and Dayna coming up from the basement with Kyle following behind them like the dutiful and indentured servant… er, assistant, that he was. The two women were going back and forth as they debated the type of decorative birds to be used on the tree… red cardinals or white doves. Kyle looked like he was on the verge of a major case of whiplash as his head turned back and forth in an attempt to keep up with the tennis match of a conversation. He had that expression that anyone who spent much time with Isabel in planning mode eventually ended up wearing and it brought a smile to Michael's face.

"Dinner will be buffet style tonight," Julia said, her voice raised just enough to get everyone's attention. "Grab a plate and come an' get it. The drinks are in the fridge."

"Mom, did you make fresh iced tea?" Eddie asked.

She winked at her youngest son. "Yes, honey, it's on the bottom shelf in the fridge."

Eddie hurried to pour himself a glass of tea, putting it on the table and leaving it so he could get in line for dinner. He never noticed it when his older brother knocked it over, completely missing it when Brian snatched up a paper towel to mop up the spill.

Brian squeezed the tea from the paper towel back into the glass, keeping an eye on Eddie as his little brother watched Maria fill her plate. He paused for just a second when he saw Michael glance at him but when the guy went right back to what he was doing he grinned and sopped up more of the spilled tea.

Kyle got into line next to Maria, doing his best to blend in and hide from Isabel and Dayna. His to-do list was getting longer by the minute and he wasn't terribly thrilled to learn that his earlier agreement meant he would be up on a ladder the next day stringing lights on the barn and house. After a cursory tree inspection he had helped Edward load the tree into the bed of his pickup truck so it could be delivered over to Mr. Tony's house the next day. He was sure they would spend the first part of tomorrow counting needles or branches or something, making sure the diagram had been followed to the letter. He had lost the fight to not roll his eyes when Isabel had informed him that at least he wouldn't have to spray fake snow on everything like she had the year before.

"Dayna's helped put Christmas on the Lake on for years," Julia was saying as they began to take their seats around the table. She was so happy to have the crowd at the house for dinner. Things were looking up. Maggie was happy again and even her boys were more noticeably into Christmas. "She plans a Christmas parade, pancake breakfast with Santa, and the annual hockey shootout event."

Isabel was giddy as she and Dayna approached the table with their plates, joining the others waiting to start the meal. "So after we check out the tree we can take that off of our list."

_Yep, he'd known there was more than that brief look earlier,_ Kyle thought. That was more like them having visual proof that a tree had been attained rather than the inspection that he knew it would be getting later.

"Tree's fine," Edward grunted. "And it's already loaded for delivery tomorrow."

Michael caught the older man's glance at him and couldn't help but give him a slight smile.

_Way to go, Edward,_ Max thought.

Brian was watching his brother like a hawk as he munched on a piece of garlic bread. His eyes were alight with anticipation when Eddie reached for his glass. His brother was so dumb sometimes. He hadn't even noticed anything different about his tea. His eyebrows lifted and he leaned forward without even realizing it as Eddie lifted the glass to his lips and chugged it. He laughed like a hyena, drawing his younger brother's gaze, only getting louder when Eddie glanced at the glass in his hand and realized that Brian had done something to it.

Edward paused in the middle of cutting into his lasagna, clearing his throat just enough to get his boys' attention. He gave them a look that immediately had them settling down although he knew as soon as he looked away they would be elbowing each other and making silent threats for whatever had caused the ruckus in the first place.

Maggie rolled her eyes at her brothers, clueless about the exchange between them and not really interested in understanding it. "Mama, can I put Cleopatra on Miss Cindy's chair to eat her dinner?" Maggie paused a moment. "I mean… may I?"

"No, Maggie, she needs to have her bowl on the floor," Julia answered with a shake of her head. "But you can put it over by Miss Cindy's chair." She glanced around the table as they watched the little girl carry the cat across the room. "I just want to say thank you to all of you for making Christmas for all of us this year."

"Is this okay, Mama?" Maggie asked as she put Cleopatra down next to the bowl she had placed on the floor next to Miss Cindy's chair.

Dayna was watching the little girl, smiling as she listened to Julia's answer. She lowered her voice as she looked at the other woman. "So will Santa be bringing Maggie's wish this year for a present?" She smiled. "She's so good with Cleopatra."

"Well, it would seem that Michael knows Santa and a couple of his elves. She drew a picture and has given it to him to give to Santa."

Edward watched his Julia as she answered Dayna's question and he smiled. _Finally, a buddy to go hunting with. And it didn't hurt that his Aunt Connie happened to breed Labradors,_ he mused.

Isabel smiled as her gaze settled on Maggie for a moment. "Yeah, the younger kids really make Christmas."

Julia thought it odd that Isabel seemed to feel so old. The girl couldn't be more than 18 or 19 years old.

The tall blonde watched the little girl as she fussed over the cat and her mind wandered to her best Christmases with her own family as a little girl. "Ya know what would be really fun?" she asked suddenly. "We should all share our favorite Christmas gift or memory." The suggestion came with her perfect smile and eyes that shone with happiness. "So, Maggie, what was your favorite Christmas present?" she asked when Maggie joined them at the table once more, sitting to Maria's left.

Maggie's features were animated as she launched into her story, sharing her memory of her last Christmas gift. "It's my book about a little polar bear who gets lost and helps Santa."

Edward laughed out loud, catching the attention of his guests. It was the first time they had heard him laugh so openly. "How about the bike Santa brought you?"

"Oh, and my bike too," she agreed with a nod. "It has a pink Hello Kitty basket on the front and a horn!"

Maria could feel Michael tensing up where he sat on her other side listening to Maggie share her story.

Dayna laughed. "Yes, I remember my little granddaughter Michelle got one just like it for Christmas last year too."

Maggie's face lit up with her excited grin. "Me an' Michelle are best friends and we have the same bike!"

Isabel looked around the table and said, "Who's next?" She made sure she looked at everyone and was just about to kick Kyle or Max under the table to get them to participate when Julia spoke up.

Michael glanced around the table, feeling his tension shoot up another notch when her gaze skimmed over him. She had to know that he had nothing to add to this funfest of holiday memories. He wondered where Kyle's mind was as he sat between Isabel and Dayna. The poor guy had tried to escape their clutches, but when he had tried to sit next to him the Christmas Nazi and her twin had insisted that as their assistant and the keeper of the almighty planner he should sit with them just in case they came up with another idea. Kyle had been remarkably silent, not even cracking so much as a single quick-witted response since the question of favorite gifts or memories had been asked. The guy was withdrawing, which was just unusual for Kyle.

His thoughts were interrupted when Julia spoke up and as he listened to her story he realized she was trying to break the ice and put everyone at ease.

"My favorite Christmas was just after high school. My family was here, Mom, Dad and my grandparents. A certain boy who was going to sign up for the armed services after our summer visit showed up at the front door." She shot a warm smile at her husband. "He had driven his truck from West Branch in a snowstorm and ended up in the ditch twice and had to dig himself out both times."

Michael's eyes followed Edward's arm as he placed it on the back of his wife's chair, the side of his thumb rubbing against her shoulder as she shared her favorite memory. His thoughts were a chaotic jumble; partly because he could relate to her story and partly because of his own thoughts it was bringing up, thoughts that he didn't want to deal with.

"It seems my dad had taught Edward enough about construction that he reconsidered leaving for the military."

Maria leaned into Michael and he lowered his head automatically as she whispered, "It's sweet that he stayed for her." As soon as the words were out of her mouth she felt a twinge of regret and she reached under the table to squeeze his thigh in reassurance.

Michael ignored her caress as his thoughts once more turned inward. Edward had stayed for Julia and she had stayed with him. He had stayed for Maria and she had left him. Yeah, he had forgiven her for all of that, but the forgetting part wasn't so easy. It had made him wary and even now he worried over her snap decision to come with him. Trust wasn't something he gave easily and it had been broken between them; rebuilding it would take time.

"Oh, I've got one," Brian spoke up, drawing Michael out of his thoughts. "Eddie has a thing for shaking Christmas presents and then telling everyone what's inside. So last year he was so sure he was getting a PS2…" he chuckled. "So the present was wrapped in a PS2 box but inside the box was another box and then another one until he finally got to the gift… and it was a Barbie house!" he howled with laughter. "It was hilarious! You shoulda seen the look on his face!"

"Santa got my present and Eddie's all mixed up," Maggie spoke up. "But me an' Eddie switched."

Michael smirked at the image of an 11-year-old Eddie staring at the box for a Barbie house with his name on it.

"Remember that princess outfit you got when you were like, I don't know, 7?" Max asked as he looked at his sister. He glanced around the table. "She wasn't just playin' dress up, she went around insisting she was a princess." He shook his head with a grin. "Thank goodness Santa didn't listen when you told him I wanted a Peter Pan costume."

"Never could quite figure that one out." She chewed a bite of lasagna and swallowed. "You certainly had the ears for it." She gave him a look of warning. "You're getting off topic… tell us what your favorite Christmas or memory is."

He grinned and laced his fingers through Liz'. "Ask me in another week or so." His gaze locked with his wife's, letting her know this year it was about her.

_Ungh, gag me with a spoon,_ Isabel thought.

Maria wondered what she was going to say when the question inevitably came to her and she unconsciously reached up to brush her fingertips against her naked earlobe. She looked across the table at her best friend and noticed the look of discomfort on her face at being in the spotlight with her favorite Christmas. Well, considering the year before last Max had been haunted by a ghost and then last year he had been obsessed with someone else's child, it wasn't any wonder she wasn't that comfortable with this line of questioning.

Dayna unknowingly stepped in and rescued Liz when she turned the question around on Isabel. "What about your favorite Christmas, Isabel?"

The statuesque blonde froze for a moment. She hadn't been expecting the pointed question to come in her direction. She scanned her friend's faces, slightly annoyed at just how much pleasure they seemed to be taking from her moment in the spotlight. Even Michael had a downright evil smirk on his face. She turned to Kyle who was now lounging back in his chair, balanced on the two back legs, arms folded across his chest as he looked at her.

"Yeah, honey, tell them about your favorite Christmas."

Maggie spoke up before Isabel could say a word. "Mama told me she didn't want me to fall backwards in my chair and when I didn't listen I had a timeout."

Kyle dropped his chair back down on all fours and winked at the little girl, making her giggle.

Without warning Isabel's heart clenched tightly in her chest as her thoughts took her to a place she wasn't prepared to go. She had missed the chance to spend a single Christmas with Alex, had let it slip right through her fingers. She lifted her head, her gaze moving past her friends and for the space of a heartbeat she could see him standing there. His kind gray eyes meeting hers as he whispered a silent 'Don't.'

Kyle saw the look on her face and he reached over to cover her hand with his, wordlessly bringing her back to the moment. He shifted back and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, gently pulling her closer to him. "C'mon, honey, don't you remember? Our date at the bowling alley just a few days after Christmas when I proposed?"

Maria nearly choked on her garlic bread as she contemplated the growing list of unapproved lies. Across the table Max was having a silent fit as he tried to keep from bursting out laughing like a big donkey and further down the table even Michael managed the smallest hint of a smile.

"Yes, but technically that was after Christmas so that doesn't count." Her lips turned up at the corners. "I was thinking I might go with that Christmas in high school when we were putting on The Nutcracker and we were short a sugarplum fairy… and how you so graciously set your dignity aside and filled in." She smiled at his dumbfounded look. "Not every guy could pull off that outfit and still retain his masculinity." She reached over to squeeze his forearm as she gave him a warm smile.

He just gave in with a shrug and a smile. _The things I do for her,_ he thought. _Even in their imaginary past he put her first. Oh, well, there were worst things she could've picked out for their make-believe history._ And at least it got him out of having to answer her question seriously. Now he had something to fall back on, something that would allow him to avoid the thoughts that led back to a part of his past that was just too raw at this time of the year.

Maria looked around the table, noticing that everyone had finished eating and now they were all just lingering over the conversation. She could feel the growing tension in Michael's stiff frame, every new lie causing his muscles to tighten. He had started to relax earlier, but now that web of lies was getting more tangled and all he could see was the possible negative outcome if one of them tripped over one of those lies.

Michael couldn't believe the conversation turn this dinner had taken. Fake bowling alley marriage proposals and Kyle in a pink tutu. He glanced at Edward when he shot a look at his wife and he could practically see the wheels turning in the man's mind as he considered just how many teenagers sitting at his dinner table were married. It was time to end this stupid memory lane farce before one of them tripped over their stories since no one seemed to be sticking to his rule of only telling pre-approved lies. Nowhere in his layout of the plan had he mentioned bowling alleys or sugarplum fairies. He was just about to say something when Maria spoke up beside him.

"It's been a really long day," she said as she put her hand over his where it lay on the table and stood up. "Thank you for yet another generous and wonderful meal, but we really need to get our rest if we're gonna be working on Christmas on the Lake tomorrow."

Michael's head snapped up, awed at her response. He gave an internal shake of his head as he stood up beside her, waiting for the others to say their goodbyes.

"Wait," Isabel said, stopping them before they could begin moving away from the table and over to the door. "We can't just leave you with the dishes."

Kyle could feel the muscles in his back knotting up as he watched the muscles along Michael's jawline tighten. He recognized the expression and knew it was only a matter of time before the tic started. Watching Michael overstressing was like standing on the track waiting for a train wreck. He drew in a cleansing breath and expelled it slowly along with a prayer for help that was answered rather expediently.

Edward spoke, his deep voice settling the matter of dish duty as he eyed his sons who had been misbehaving earlier. "Dishes are taken care of, right, boys? And Brian, you'll mop the kitchen floor afterwards… with a mop this time."

Brian shifted as he mumbled out a "Yes sir." _Nothing ever got past his parents!_

As soon as they were cleared of any kitchen duties Michael wasted no time getting Maria to the door and into their winter gear. Nothing she could say at that moment would calm him down. Everything they had managed to accomplish earlier had just gone right down the drain and he was ready to blow. She just tried to keep up their cover, letting him rush while doing her best to ease it along and not make it quite so obvious, but she knew the best thing to do at that moment was to get him out of the house. Nothing was going to stop him from losing it this time and honestly she was surprised he had made it this far without a major meltdown.

Max let Michael's heated glare bounce right off of him as he shrugged into his own coat before reaching for Liz's and holding it out for her. He was grateful that Maria had her hand on the doorknob as they walked out so the Stevens' didn't have to purchase a new door since Michael would've likely pulled it right off of the hinges.

Kyle bent down to pull on his boots as Max was helping Liz into hers. "El Presidente, I think it's past time for you to have a talk with El Capitan. He's seriously overstressing and we're past the point where it can be kept under wraps. Guy's got the key and he's ready to push the button, you know what I'm sayin'?"

Max glanced at him and nodded.

"Good. Why don't you head out and I'll make sure your queen and the princess are right behind you?"

Michael reached out to grab Maria's arm when she tripped in the snow trying to keep up with him. She wasn't used to walking slow in this stuff when there was plenty of light so walking fast after nightfall was like trying to traverse an unfamiliar obstacle course in the dark. They were nearing the first driveway that led to the cabins on the right when she heard footsteps coming up behind them at a fast clip.

"Michael, wait up," Max huffed.

"Go home, Max," he snapped, putting emphasis on the word 'home'.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means a couple days here and you're comfortable. You've already forgotten why we're even here in the first place."

Max shook his head hard and leveled his voice at Michael in the dark. "Hey, I know why we're here. I've been right here with you for the last six months. But if you don't calm down you're gonna blow it for all of us."

Light from the front porch of the house suddenly spilled out into the yard, breaking the darkness but still far enough away so that they weren't cast in its direct light. The pathway was illuminated as well as the three bundled figures making their way toward them.

The constant pressure of shouldering the responsibility for their safety, the unnecessary guilt over a ruined engine that was no one's fault, and the worry of discovery all boiled to the surface too fast to contain and Michael's face twisted as he responded. "That's great, I'm the one who's gonna screw it up, huh? Just where the fuck were you when Maria almost got ID'd by that cop who stopped her at that gas station?"

"I was there, Michael! We were all there! You've let that day build up and you've blown that incident way outta proportion! I understand that it scared the hell outta you but she was never in any danger beyond what you perceived to be a dangerous situation! You act like you're the only one with any concerns!"

Michael's mouth contorted, his lips thinning out as he spoke, enunciating each word in Max's direction. "You were there, huh? How were you there?" His arms jerked erratically as he gestured furiously. "You haven't been with us since you put the crown down in Roswell. Maybe if that cop had stopped your doe-eyed bride your perception of the danger at hand would've been different!"

Max and Michael were toe to toe, anger rolling off of each of them as they shouted into each other's face. Maria was getting their argument in stereo as she tried to get between them before it turned into a physical altercation. She finally managed to shove Max just enough to get in between them and she turned to face Michael.

"Look at me, Michael, nothing happened to me, I'm fine!"

His raging eyes fell on her. "Don't you ever get between me and someone else in the middle of a fight!" he yelled.

Kyle wrapped one hand around Maria's arm as he ran up to them, pulling her out of the middle and away from the guys.

"Kyle, let me go!" she demanded, only becoming more irritated with the situation when he released her arm to wrap his arm around her waist and physically pulled her away to safety. "He won't hurt me!"

"No, he'd never hurt you intentionally, but he's outta control and he and Max need to have this out." He had just barely gotten her out of the way when Isabel caught up and lunged to put herself between them like she had so many times in the past. "Isabel, don't," he said quietly, insistently. "He's beyond reason right now."

Liz stood back, silently watching and waiting, knowing better than to get between the two of them. She winced when Michael went off on Max again.

"Now we're boxed in like we were when the FBI had us surrounded that last day in Roswell only this time we don't have a working vehicle! Maybe you've forgotten what that felt like, but I haven't! I'm sittin' here tryin' to figure out how the hell to get us outta here and you and Isabel are busy skipping down Christmas memory lane! I didn't need the king, Max! I never needed the king! I needed my friend." His eyes bored into Max. "WHERE THE FUCK HAVE YOU BEEN?" He turned and stormed off, heading for the big frozen lake in the distance beyond the cabins.

Maria started to go after Michael but Kyle stopped her with four little words.

"He needs his space."

She stopped with a heavy heart, knowing the truth in his words, but hurting for Michael and wishing she could do something to help him.


	30. Chapter 30

**Author's Note: **A couple of lines in this part were borrowed from the Season Two Roswell episodes Viva Las Vegas and It's Too Late & It's Too Bad.

**Part 30**

Max stared at Michael's retreating back until he disappeared from sight, feeling like someone had just dropped a ton of bricks on his chest. He had willingly given up his role as the king and he didn't regret that. He hadn't liked being responsible for making decisions that could potentially put any or all of them in further danger… or worse. He and Michael had locked horns over most of those decisions anyway, so why was he throwing that decision in his face now? He should be happy with that decision; he had what he wanted now. He was making the decisions and shouldering the weight of responsibility for all of them.

For the past six months Michael had made decision after decision and no one had challenged him. He rarely asked for anyone's opinion, but on those occasions it wasn't Max that he turned to. And now he was pissed off because no one else was taking the reins and making the decisions? He felt his own anger build in response to that thought.

"Maybe we should quit imitating ice sculptures and get inside out of the cold," Kyle suggested as he bent to check his right boot, using it as cover to glance back at the house. Yep, sure enough, he could see a shadow standing at the window; Edward, ever the watchful protector. At least they were far enough away that he wouldn't have been able to discern what their argument was about.

Their exit hadn't exactly been subtle but he knew why Maria had been so quick to get Michael out of the house. He hadn't been having a lot of fun himself, but his emotions weren't likely to cause anything to blow up. _At least they hadn't so far,_ he mused. It had been a trying day and simply accepting that they had to wait around, with no escape options open to them wasn't something Michael was handling well. Maybe if he'd had some time to decompress after that news this might have been avoided. But they hadn't had that luxury; as soon as they had learned about the van they had spent more than an hour in a crowded Walmart, then it had been lunch, Christmas tree hunting, and dinner with a festive round of share-your-favorite-Christmas-memory. He was surprised it had taken as long as it had for him to lose it.

"C'mon, Maria. I'll walk you to your place soon as Isabel's inside." He glanced at Liz, catching her eye when she looked away from her husband. 'You got him?' he mouthed silently.

She nodded with a slight smile and reached out to grab the pocket of Max' coat, tugging to get him moving. She could see the anger in his eyes but below that the hurt was just waiting for its turn to be released.

None of them said a word as they separated and walked to the cabins. Kyle waited for Isabel to get inside and lock the door behind her before he and Maria started walking down to the little cabin furthest from the house. The only sound that could be heard was the snow crunching underfoot and the occasional creak as the snow-laden branches obeyed the command of the wind and shifted under their burden.

"Did you need some company?" he asked while he waited for her to unlock the door.

Maria turned to look at him, seeing the hint of strain around his eyes. Sometimes it was easy to forget that their situation got to him too. Kyle was so easygoing and he used humor to break the tension so often that they overlooked his feelings and forgot that he got stressed out too. Too often they took him for granted and she knew he allowed it, using it as something to gripe about from time to time to break the tension. Even now, when the stress was more visible in his features than he normally allowed to surface he was putting someone else's needs first. She shook her head and smiled slightly. "No, but thanks for the offer, Kyle."

He nodded and motioned for her to go inside, waiting for the door to close behind her and the lock to turn before he made his way back to his own cabin. His steps were heavy, but the snow had little to do with it. His mind was preoccupied; running from the past, treading water in the present, and staring into an uncertain future. He shoved his hands deeper into his coat pockets as he rounded the slight curve in the driveway, following it until he reached the shoveled path to the front door of his cabin.

He pulled one glove off and fumbled for the key, cursing under his breath when it slipped through his cold fingers and landed in the snow. He shifted back and squinted down at the ground, heaving a relieved sigh when he saw it sitting up at an angle in the packed snow. He snatched it up and gave the lock another shot, shaking his head as he stepped into the cabin.

It wasn't until he was shrugging out of his outer gear that he realized the cabin was quiet. The heat had been turned up a bit and the main room was starting to feel comfortably warm. The lights were off and Isabel was sitting at one end of the loveseat, her gaze locked on the wall in front of her. He maintained the silence as he went to his room and grabbed his things so he could go and take a shower.

He turned the water on, getting it as hot as he could stand it before stripping his clothes off and getting in under the spray. There wasn't much room in the little stall but he couldn't care less at the moment. Until the hot water ran out it was his little corner of the universe and no one else could intrude on it. No one but his thoughts, he realized as they did their level best to pick at the lock holding them back.

His eyes closed as he tipped his head back to let the water run over his face. His hands lifted to scrub over his cheeks, feeling the rasp of stubble against his palms. He let his mind wander back to a scene further back, a scene that was safe. He could remember his dad standing behind him, the bathroom mirror in front of them, as he showed him how to shave. He smiled slightly at the memory and without his permission his mind turned to last Christmas. _Dad had been so lost,_ he thought. _Was he doing better this Christmas?_ He wished futilely that he could see his dad; that he could see for himself that he was okay. He swallowed hard as he thought about never seeing his dad again.

Hopefully Dad hadn't decided to try his hand at dating any other girls that had babysat for him when he was a kid. Maybe he would be having Christmas with Amy so neither of them would be alone. That would be nice. He had always liked Amy and he knew how much Dad liked her. _It would sure beat Dad looking like road kill, wearing yellow rubber gloves, and shoving a head of lettuce up some unsuspecting turkey's ass._ He snorted at that thought and leaned forward to let his forehead rest on his fisted hands where they were braced against the shower stall.

Kyle thought about the fight between Michael and Max and shook his head. "What were you thinkin'," he muttered under his breath, uncertain who the words were directed at. Some days he wondered what would happen if he just stood back and let the two of them beat the hell out of each other. Maybe it would be the best thing to just let them get it out of their systems. Sometimes he got sick of playing the mediator, trying to navigate their tempers, arguments, and silences.

He ran his right hand over his hair when the water began to cool. He snatched the shampoo up and hurried to wash his hair, hoping to get out before the water turned cold. He escaped the confines of the shower stall just as the hot water tank spit out the last few droplets of heated water. The heat from the living area didn't reach into the bathroom and he shivered as the cool air hit his damp skin.

He hurriedly toweled off and pulled his sleepwear on, snatching up the hair dryer Isabel had tucked onto the tiny shelf behind the door. He plugged it in and ran the heated air over his exposed skin. He dried his hair, something that he normally wouldn't bother with, but it was cold enough in the cabin that he wasn't about to go to bed with wet hair.

Once he was finished and he had put everything away and cleaned up after himself he left the bathroom, leaving the door open on the off chance a bit of heat might sneak inside. He glanced at the bed and saw that Isabel had turned in and he walked out through the living area to get to his room. He tossed his things on the bottom bunk and lifted his head to stare at the top bunk with its cartoon dressing. As he stood there he felt something inside of him rebel at the thought of sleeping in a bed intended for a child.

"Y'know, Kyle's too old for this," he muttered under his breath. He crossed the room and reached up to grab onto the edge of the mattress, pulling it off of the bunk and dropping it on the floor. He rearranged it so that it was wedged into the doorway, putting it right in the path of the furnace so that the heated air would warm him when it kicked on.

Satisfied that he would make it though the night without freezing to death he rolled his neck along his shoulders, hearing the pops and cracks as tension was released. "Crap," he mumbled as he stared at the sheets, "yippy ki yay blanket's on Isabel's bed." He looked around and his eyes fell on the throw resting on the back of the loveseat. "Okay, a little bit small, but we can make that work." He was crossing the space when he heard Isabel speak, her voice so soft, so quiet, that he almost didn't hear her.

He cocked his head to one side, straining to catch what she was saying. He doubted she was talking to him, but her tone was conversational even though he couldn't make out the words. _Who could she be talking to? Her parents maybe? _ He knew how much she missed them and how much it hurt her to be separated from them, especially at this time of the year. He took another step to bring him to the loveseat and as he reached for the throw a single word reached his ears.

"Alex…"

The rest of her words were indiscernible but he knew whom she was talking to now. That knowledge brought another person to mind and he stomped on that door, forcing her memory to stay put. He snatched the throw off of the loveseat and stalked back to his room, getting into bed and curling his body up so that the little blanket covered him. He squeezed his eyes shut against the memories and refused to let them surface. He would _not_ allow her to intrude on his thoughts. He sat up after several minutes and wrapped the throw around his shoulders, bringing his knees up and resting his forehead on them. He forced himself to focus on baseball, mentally reciting every stat he could think of until he eventually felt the pull of sleep begin to tug at him. _I really need to get back to meditating._ It was his last coherent thought as he curled up under the throw and sleep pulled him into its comforting embrace.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Liz removed the last layers of her winter gear and hung them up on the hook next to the window. Beyond the windowpane the scenery was so tranquil, such a direct contrast to the storm brewing inside the cabin. She tucked the sleeve of her coat in between the wall and one of the lapels before stepping away from the precarious pile of clothing. Max generally didn't lose it on the same scale that Michael could, but when he reached the end of his rope he tended to let everything out at once.

She moved back out of the way, sitting on the arm of the couch and gnawing on her bottom lip as she watched her husband. He wasn't even aware she was in the same room with him as he jerked his winter gear off one piece at a time. With every item that came off he fought to keep it from falling on the floor, muttering about Michael and getting louder with each passing minute.

"I don't get it," he bit out as his right hand shot out, catching his coat and pinning it to the wall and rearranging it so that it remained stationary. "We've had more fights than I could ever hope to count about my decisions when it came to our safety." He shook his head and his cheeks flushed red with anger. "I came to the same conclusion he did – all I did was make a big mess of everything so I did what he wanted. I gave it up. No more king, no more being in charge, no more calling the shots… if he wants to call the shots, fine, go for it."

She could see the different emotions racing across his face as he leaned over and pulled his left boot off, slamming it down on the floor. Her gaze followed the small chunk of snow that came loose and went skipping across the room to land up against the rocking chair. She looked at Max when he started arguing with himself again.

"But do you think he was happy with that? Hell no! If I make the decisions I'm wrong. If I don't make the decisions I'm still wrong! How am I supposed to know what I should do when no matter what I do it's wrong?" He jerked his right boot off and flung it down to join its mate. "And standin' there tellin' me we don't understand the situation?"

Liz went over the argument, trying to pinpoint that remark and after a moment she shook her head. "He never said we didn't understand the situation, Max," she said quietly.

He turned to stare at her. "What?"

"I don't really think this has anything to do with understanding the situation."

He waved his right hand dismissively. "He stood right there and said I had no perception of the danger that day at the gas station! There was no danger! Michael could find a reason to think any situation was dangerous!"

"And if I had been the one the cop stopped to talk to?" She shook her head. "Would you have let it pass without a single thought that we had been discovered?"

"It's not the friggin' thought, Liz! He's held onto it for months, obsessing over it and blowing it outta proportion!" He looked down when one of his boots fell over and he leaned down to right it. "He acts like he's the only one with somethin' to lose! Who the hell does – " He glared at the boot when it stubbornly tipped to the side again, this time catching the edge of one of their coats and adding just enough pressure to upset the pile of outerwear weakly clinging to the overburdened hooks. He tried to catch the clothes as one by one they began to slide off of the hooks and after several tense moments he gave up and started throwing every item he could reach.

Liz watched him as coats, hats, gloves, boots, leggings and any other articles of clothing in his reach was thrown as far as possible.

"He's never been alone in this thing," he huffed. "Never! I wouldn't do that to him." He started to pace. "I know what it feels like to feel alone, carrying the weight of everyone's safety. And as for knowin' what it's like to have someone you love more than your own life threatened… he doesn't have exclusive rights to that feeling! I was there… I was in that fucking white room, I know!"

She listened to every angry word he spewed, knowing where a good part of it was coming from. His skin was stretched taut across his face, making his hard jawline stand out in stark relief. Her eyes lowered to his fists, watching them as they clenched and unclenched spasmodically. She felt that familiar calm come over her as she mentally went through the options available to her, debating what it would take to calm him down.

Liz walked over to her husband and placed her hand over his, waiting mere moments before his fist relaxed enough for her to slide her fingers through his. "Max, living in constant fear and being on the road the way we have been has done a lot to all of us. Have you considered that maybe Michael didn't want the job of decisionmaker exclusively? It's a lot for any one person, maybe too much. No ruler does everything alone. There are always advisors and others to bear part of the responsibility. There's a reason for that."

"When's the last time you remember Michael asking for help when it came to making a decision?" he snarled. "He seems to find everyone else's input more credible than mine."

"Max, you gave up the throne, remember? We stood there and everyone looked to you for the answer. They were waiting for you to tell them what to do and you said you wouldn't make the decision for everyone."

"Michael wouldn't have listened to what I had to say anyway, so what does it matter? He had already made his mind up about what he was gonna do. He was the first one to say how ridiculous it would be for us to take off together." He gave a sharp shake of his head as he dropped her hand and crossed the room to stare outside. "He was ready to drop everything and leave. He was ready to leave Maria there."

"I think we both know you're just grasping at straws now," Liz said as she sat down on the couch and picked up one of the little throw pillows. She held it on her lap, her fingers stroking along the edge.

"I wouldn't have left you behind."

She smiled slightly at the conviction in his tone even as an old pain surfaced. _If it wasn't for Michael you would've left me behind and left the planet with Tess._ "You know he has his own moral code and whether or not we agree with it doesn't matter. He didn't grow up like the rest of us did; there wasn't a decent adult in his life to show him how to act or what to do so he's created his own system of right and wrong." She could still remember going to Michael's trailer and that creepy Hank looking her over like he was mentally undressing her. She felt a shiver race down her spine at that memory. And the way he had called Michael 'Micky', and made it sound like trash. "Putting Maria in danger violates that code. At the time he felt she'd be safer there than on the run with him." She shrugged one shoulder. "They also weren't together at the time. Can you imagine us being on the run as a group if you and I hadn't been together when we had to run?"

That didn't bear thinking about. Max stared out into the darkness, feeling the cold radiating out from the windowpane. "They're together even when they're not together."

There was definite truth in his quiet statement. "You know if she hadn't come he wouldn't still be with us, Max."

"No," he agreed. "He would've taken off a long time ago."

"Max, the two of you might fight over things, you might disagree over more than you agree on, but you need each other. That night when you decided you were no longer making the decisions for the group…" she bit her lip.

He turned to look at her, narrowing his eyes a bit when he saw the hesitation in her expression. She knew he wasn't going to like whatever she was about to say and she was weighing her words. "Just say it," he insisted.

"We had made it through everything up until that point with you guiding us and making the decisions. Michael reacts to things differently than you do; he's a man of action and you're the one who plans everything out."

"What's wrong with that?"

"I'm not saying there's anything wrong with it. What I'm saying is you knew when you made the decision to give up the throne that Michael would step in and pick up that slack. Someone has to make the decisions and consciously or unconsciously, he stepped in and took that on. He was your second in command on Antar; you relied on him when making decisions. You knew if we stayed together decisions would have to be made. We're running for our lives and a wrong decision could mean being captured or killed; you didn't want that responsibility any longer so you let it go because you knew he would take it on." She was silent for a moment. "You know why you no longer wanted to make the hard decisions, Max."

He swallowed hard as he turned back to the window, hearing her words echo in his head. "…a wrong decision could mean being captured or killed; you didn't want that responsibility…" No, he didn't want that responsibility any longer and he knew why. He didn't trust himself to make the decisions. So many of his decisions for the past couple of years had led to disastrous outcomes. _Tess… Alex… Zan…_ He squeezed his eyes shut as his failures rose up before him. She was right. He had known Michael would take over and handle everything; it was who he was. Michael didn't know how to quit and he would do everything he could to carry the weight of responsibility until the bitter end.

He knew how much of a burden it was to shoulder all of that responsibility and to feel so alone and he had knowingly done that to Michael. It was too much for a single person to carry and he knew that. His mind drifted back to their last morning in Las Vegas and something Michael had said.

"_Whoever sent us down here was smart, you know? Because they sent us together, and as long as we stick together, we're gonna make it."_

"I need to talk to him," he said finally.

The words had a ragged edge to them and Liz was fairly certain she knew what was on his mind. "Not tonight, Max."

"Not tonight," he repeated softly as he turned away from the window. "First thing tomorrow though." He looked around at the mess he had made and he crossed the room to pick up the first glove he came to. He bit his tongue when his foot landed on the little chunk of snow that had come loose from his boot and the now melted snow soaked his sock. He froze for a moment and turned his head to the side when he heard his wife's gentle laugh.

"If you throw one more thing, Max…"

He looked around the room once more and a little smile lifted the corners of his lips. "I'll take care of this."

"Do that." She got up and tossed the pillow back on the couch. "I think I'll be going to bed now." She motioned to the clothing and boots strewn about the room. "You should hurry up though 'cause I don't know how long I'm gonna be awake."

"Whatever," he said with a grin, watching her as she turned and walked into the bedroom.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Maria shifted over onto her side, craning her neck to look out through the window above the nightstand. She blinked owlishly and flopped over onto her back, her right hand stretching out to run her fingers absently over Michael's side of the bed. She hadn't bothered with the fireplace when she came in and the cabin was cold. She was exhausted after the long day; combined with very little sleep the night before and the tension from earlier she was just drained physically, mentally and emotionally.

Outside the wind picked up, blowing through the trees and she shivered at the eerie whistling sound. The branches of a tree nearby cast long shadows, creating strange designs that danced on the wall. Her eyes followed one that looked almost like a dog and she smiled faintly as she thought about the picture Maggie had drawn and given to Michael.

She shivered and rubbed her arms but she still refused to climb under the covers. She wouldn't simply go to bed while Michael was outside. She had dozed fitfully a few times, her mind alert to any sound that might indicate he was coming inside, but so far he had stubbornly remained out of earshot. She wanted so badly to ease his mind; she knew how his mind worked and he would push the fight away. She had seen the look in his eyes when Max had warned him that he was going to be the one to expose them. Her chest ached with every beat of her heart because she knew how alone he felt in protecting them and to have Max throw that in his face had hurt.

There was some truth to his statement and they were all aware of it. Michael had been in hyper-vigilant mode for so long that he couldn't just shut it off after a couple of days off of the road. Even if he could she wasn't sure he would, not when his assessment of the situation led him to the conclusion that they were still in danger. The thought of failing them weighed heavily on him and she knew it could become crippling if he continued to shoulder it alone.

She sat up enough to check the clock for what seemed like the fiftieth time in the past hour. She had angled it so that the moonlight reflected off of the face the first time she had checked the time. The only light in the cabin came from outside and from the little nightlight in the bathroom. It was only getting later the longer she waited for him to come inside. She knew he was used to going off alone when he was licking his wounds and she also knew he wouldn't go far. There were too many unknowns and he wouldn't risk leaving her without knowing he could get to her if he needed to.

He had been gone for nearly two hours and she sighed as she turned over again. She shifted but couldn't find a comfortable spot and until he was next to her she wouldn't. "Michael," she whispered, the soft words sounding like a shout in the silent cabin.

Kyle's voice ran through her head over and over. _"He needs his space."_ She finally gave up trying to wait Michael out and rolled off of the bed, straightening her rumpled clothes as she shot one more glance at the clock. _He's had his space… two hours in the freezing cold is more than enough space._ "Time's up." She paused at the window, the corner of the nightstand digging into her leg when she leaned forward to look outside at the big lake.

Her eyes scanned across the snow-covered ground, the pure white such a stark contrast to the black canvas of the sky. The moon above cast shadows across the lake and as her eyes began to adjust she saw one of the shadows separate from the others and shift just enough to draw her attention. She turned back to the bed, running her hands over the covers, twisted and wrinkled from her restless tossing and turning, straightening them out and smoothing them into order once more. She wanted it ready for their return. She stood back to observe her handiwork and found herself wishing it was so easy to erase the hurt she had put him through in the past.

She checked the clock once more and decided that two hours was way too long to be out in the cold. She pulled on her coat and boots, leaving the leggings that reminded her of a pair of padded overalls because she wasn't going to be outside very long. She stepped out of the cabin and pursed her lips as she looked at the snow that rose on either side of the shoveled path. She kicked at the snow just enough to give her a 'step' up, hoping it was packed well enough that she wouldn't sink with every step.

The snow crunched underfoot as she took her first halting steps in the deep snow, her boots sinking several inches before stabilizing and allowing her to push off for the next step. She made her way around to the back of the cabin and she paused as she searched the frozen lake before her. She moved closer, the moonlight illuminating the landscape and picking up the iridescent crystals embedded in the snow. The vast expanse of ice seemed to go on forever, stopping only when it reached the velvety black horizon that was pinned in place by a multitude of stars.

Her eyes scanned the frozen lake, her heart aching with the need to know he was there, to see for herself that he was alright. She drew in a sharp breath, the icy air momentarily freezing her lungs when her gaze locked on the lone solitary figure standing several hundred feet away, staring up at the night sky. She exhaled slowly, watching as the heated mist was captured and absorbed by the cold air.

Maria looked down at her boots and sent a silent prayer to the ice gods that they would keep her upright on the slippery surface. She took her first hesitant step onto the ice, watching closely for the many jagged edges that seemed to be everywhere. It was as if the waves had frozen so quickly that their form had been captured and frozen in time. Her eyes never wandered from each sliding step as she made her way across the ice in a cautious and painfully slow sliding walk.

She stopped maybe four feet or so from him and paused to take in her surroundings. It was a moment filled with breathtaking awe and she felt incredibly small standing on the icy terrain. "So much peace here," she whispered to herself. Her heart lifted at the sensation of absolute stillness, the feeling that time here had slowed to a halt. The wind picked up for a moment and she closed her eyes as it brushed her cheeks and ruffled her hair, but in her mind the air that touched her was hot and instead of moonlight it was sunlight shining down on her.

In her mind's eye she could see the desert surrounding her, outcroppings of rocks rising up around her. She could remember the fear that Michael wasn't going to survive and the feeling of relief when he had found his way back to them. After finding his balance in the dreamplane Michael had hugged Isabel and shaken Alex's hand and he had kissed her not once, but twice.

"If you had to do it, could you get yourself on a snowmobile and get outta here?"

Her eyes snapped open when his voice cut through the stillness, the quiet, raspy words crystal clear. She released a heavy sigh at the burden he carried.

"Maria?" His voice had deepened as he projected it to get her attention.

"I won't have to do that."

"You don't know that," he insisted.

She shook her head, feeling that she was a large part of his burden. "You don't know that I will need to either, Michael. Look, we've gotten this far already. We got stranded and we were taken in by the Stevens family; they've fed us, taken us into their home and their lives in spite of our suspicious behavior, and no one's turned us in."

"That we know of," he interjected, his gaze locked on the sky.

She shivered from the cold as she thought about something her mom had always said. _Maria, I'm not particularly religious but I do know this: Things happen for a reason. Sometimes we just have to rely on faith to get us through._ "All we can control here is taking care of finding a new vehicle and being watchful. The rest we'll just have to rely on faith for it to work out because the truth is, we really don't have control over any of it."

He tipped his head just enough to watch her from the corner of his eye as his thoughts took him back to her mom's kitchen and Amy's battle with the garbage disposal. That had been an odd conversation but she had eased his mind and given him the answer he needed though she had never known it.

"_Look, Michael, we're both getting what we need out of this situation. And, sure, the disposal won't always be around, but what if? Maybe tomorrow isn't something to really worry about."_

"Maybe," he muttered quietly, feeling his nerves settling just a bit between Maria's words and the memory of her mom's advice. He watched her for a moment, seeing the concern in her eyes and the slight shiver that shook her frame when the wind gusted. "We should get back inside," he said as he took the few necessary steps to stand beside her. His hand rested at the small of her back as he nudged her to get her moving and as soon as she was mobile her hand slipped over his forearm to hold onto him. "You shouldn't have come out here."

Maria shook her head and carefully slid her feet along the ice. "You shouldn't have been out here for the past couple of hours. Maybe you don't get sick like the rest… like me, but being out in extreme cold temperatures like this for extended periods of time could upset your balance or whatever."

"I'm fine," he insisted, steadying her when her boots lost their traction.

Several minutes later they stepped into the cabin and Maria couldn't help but notice how jerky his movements were when he pushed the door closed behind them. His _'I'm fine'_ hadn't been all that reassuring. She stomped her boots on the rug in front of the door and moved to the thermostat for the wall heater to make sure it was on. It was but it wasn't warm enough. _Grandma and Grandpa built the cabin for more of a three-season retreat, _she thought. The fireplace needed to be lit.

Michael reached for her with one shaking hand. "Come back here. Let's get out outta that gear."

Maria turned the lamp on next to the door and her eyes drank in his appearance. He was visibly shaking, his movements rigid and jerky and his dark eyes were dull with exhaustion. "I'm fine and I can handle my own gear." She reached up to touch his face, frowning when she laid her hand alongside his cheek and she felt how cold he was. "God, you could get pneumonia. You're super cold, Spaceboy, so don't even go there with the 'I can't get pneumonia', buddy. You're the one that needs to warm up."

She made short work of getting out of her coat and boots and even though her legs were so cold from not wearing her leggings outside she was grateful she didn't have to take the time to get out of them. Her feet quickly ate up the distance to the cedar chest and lifted the lid, wincing at the creak of the old springs, pulling a blanket out and carrying it to one of the overstuffed chairs.

Moving back to Michael, she brushed his fumbling hands away and deftly unsnapped and unzipped his coat and the insulated bib overalls underneath. Once she had rid him of his outer gear she grabbed the blanket and placed it around his shoulders. She took him by the hand and led him to the chair in front of the fireplace where she gently pushed him back to sit down so she could help him pull his boots off.

Maria leaned back on her heels and looked up into his eyes. For just a moment she was back in her old room at her mom's house on a rainy night when he had come to her and allowed her to take care of him. Her eyes scanned over his shoulders to make sure the blanket adequately covered him before she got up to carry his boots the few steps to the rug next to the door.

"I'll get a fire going," she said as she started to get on her knees to move the wood into the fireplace. Her head turned when Michael's shaking hand landed on her shoulder.

"Lemme do that."

She didn't have the chance to get so much as a single word of protest out as he took over, pulling wood from the firebox and stacked it in the fireplace.

"Sit," he ordered gruffly as he pointed to one of the chairs. He waited until she had complied and with a weary sigh he stretched his hand out, fingers splayed, and in mere moments a roaring fire was dancing merrily in the fireplace. Satisfied that it was good to go he moved back to his chair. He could feel the heat licking at his exposed flesh, could feel the burning sensation as the cold was slowly forced from his body. The real comfort wasn't the warmth from the fire; it was the young woman next to him.

He felt as if he'd just gotten off of a merry-go-round at the park and could finally see where he was. He could hear Max's voice begin to surface in his head and he pushed it down as deep as he could, distracting himself by running his eyes over the cabin. He blinked, bringing the room back into focus when Maria spoke, and he looked up when she stood and held a hand out to her.

"C'mere, it's been too long of a day."

His eyes traced over her features, taking in the firelight playing over her hair that was in disarray. As he looked into her green eyes, so dark and soft, he though back to his words to Max earlier. _"Go home, Max."_ He was too wary to look deeper into her eyes, still unsure of where their relationship stood. Regardless of that she was his home and always would be and his heart ached in his chest because he wanted so badly for her to come back to him.

Her hand slipped into his and he allowed her to pull him to his feet. He turned to wave his hand over the fire in the fireplace, banking it. He willingly followed her to the bed after she turned the lamp off by the door. He stood there while she began to undress him in the dying firelight, their eyes locked as they watched each other in silent communion.

"We've been on the road for so long," she whispered as her fingers nimbly unbuttoned his shirt and removed it. "You don't have to talk if you don't want to. I'm here."

His head moved just enough to indicate a slight nod and his own fingers twitched for a moment before his hands lifted and he reached for the hem of her shirt. He shoved every other thought from his mind and focused all of his attention on her as their clothing was disposed of piece by piece.

The moon shifted its position in the sky and its soft light played over their skin as they made love. Long slow kisses, lingering caresses, soft moans and breathy gasps punctuated their lovemaking. Every touch of skin on skin and every look between them only heightened their awareness of each other, driving their need higher. As their bodies melded into one everything else faded into the background, narrowing their world down to just the two of them.

Their gazes remained locked for several moments before they collapsed into each other's arms, breathless, hearts pounding, and their body's slick with sweat. He rolled to his side, facing her as he gathered her into his arms. His forehead settled into the crook of her neck and her arm slipped under his, her hand settling on his back to rub soothing circles against his rapidly cooling skin. It didn't take long before she heard the telltale hitch in his breathing that let her know he was sleeping peacefully and the caresses against his back began to slow, her hand dragging lazily against him as she began to follow him into sleep.


	31. Chapter 31

**Author's Note: **A few lines in this part were borrowed from the Roswell Season One episode 285 South and Season Three episodes Who Died and Made You King and Crash.

**Part 31**

Michael stepped out of the bathroom wearing just a pair of jeans. He ran a towel over his hair and glanced over at the bed to check on Maria. She was still out cold, softly snuffling because her nose was mashed against the pillow. He tossed the damp towel on the foot of the bed as he pulled a soft grey tee shirt on over his head. He leaned over and pressed a gentle kiss to her temple before brushing a few stray strands of hair away from her cheek and leaving her to sleep. He stopped at the window over the nightstand, tugging the curtains over to block out the sunlight that would eventually begin pouring in.

He padded barefoot into the kitchen, pausing to stoke the fire. It had been cold when he woke up and he had gotten it going as soon as he had rolled out of bed. The cabin was nice and toasty now, making it comfortable enough to walk around without any socks on his feet. Maria would most likely pull a pair of socks on as soon as her feet touched the floor and he smirked at the thought.

He moved through the cabin and into the tiny kitchen, doing his best to make as little noise as possible as he pulled the refrigerator door open and stared inside. He pulled a few things out, setting them on the counter with exaggeratedly careful motions to avoid making any noise that might wake Maria up. The opportunities they'd had for a full night's sleep were rare and even more rare were the nights when that sleep was peaceful and uninterrupted.

He turned on the front burner for the gas stove, watching the flames come alive and turning it back slightly before setting the pan over it. He pulled one of the packages closer and opened it, pulling the sausage patties out and setting them in the pan. Finished with that he put the rest of them away and grabbed a dishtowel to wipe his hands on. He leaned back against the counter, absentmindedly reaching up to scratch his chest below his left shoulder. He frowned as his thumbnail rubbed over the raised area where the seal had been before Max had so violently retaken possession of it.

So much of that time was a blur but he could remember throwing Maria out of the car with startling clarity. He had been heavily tripping on the power high and things that had seemed so clear under the influence of the seal seemed so skewed looking at them after Max took it back. Some of the things he had done were reprehensible, but what he had said to her that night… he shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose as he closed his eyes. The things he had said that night were unforgivable and he knew how deeply his words had wounded her. He could still hear her words that day in the Crashdown as she responded to Kyle's query about what he had done this time and against his will the memories flooded his mind.

"_Yeah. He, uh, threatened my life and then shoved me out of a moving vehicle and just left me in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night."_

_Her words had caught his attention and he had stormed out of the kitchen. "The car was stopped! And I NEVER threatened to kill you!"_

_After you suggested it'd be better off if I was dead, and Jesse, and everybody else who knows about your little 'secret'!"_

"_It was a suggestion." He had gotten defensive when they had all just looked at him. "Why am I always apologizing to you guys about who I am?"_

_Maria, of course, had been the one to speak up. "That wasn't you, Michael!"_

"_Yes, it was me. Max was dead. I was king. I did what I had to do."_

"_Fine."_

"_I'm not sorry about it, either."_

"_Fine!"_

"_No, I'm not sorry." He had turned and walked to the door and her final "Fine" had pushed his last nerve and he had slammed the door as hard as he could on his way out. He had heard glass breaking in his wake and he could imagine the looks going around the group at that moment._

_The term 'royally screwed up' seemed so fitting somehow,_ he thought as he rubbed the scar one more time before moving to check on the sausage patties. They sizzled, the sound seeming so loud in the otherwise silent cabin. He grabbed a fork and speared them one by one, flipping them over and squishing them down flat. He set the fork down, the tines resting on the edge of the pan and he paused, arm outstretched as he reached for the pancake batter. _Had he ever apologized to her for what he had said?_

_Yes, he had. _ Right before he and Max had left to put their plan into action. He smiled faintly at another memory as he recalled his apology to her.

"_By the way, I'm sorry for suggesting you'd be better off dead."_

_She had nodded and given him an odd smile before shaking her head and slugging him in the shoulder._

The rage he had felt under the influence of the seal had blinded him to everything else and he could hear himself yelling at her, his words cutting and hurting her. The anger he had felt the night he had seen her at her house with that ass Billy Darden had been fueled by the underlying hurt and he had blown windshields out for a couple of blocks at least. But it was that day in the back of the Crashdown that stuck out so prominently in his memory. He had asked her to get rid of Billy and over the course of the next couple of minutes his powers had gotten out of control. He had been feeling jealous, but more than that there was the fear that he was losing her, and that had shoved his emotions into overdrive. He had scared her; he had seen it in her eyes and heard it in her voice. He had been determined after that fight that he would never put her in harms' way again.

His reaction the night before had frightened him because it had put her in a position that could have gotten her hurt. And he could've easily been the one to hurt her. Getting between him and Max had been stupid and dangerous and she had been willing to risk her own safety to put a stop to what was happening. He had been quick to warn her off but it had been Kyle who had pulled her away from them. As for Max… his mouth tightened as he tried to sort out his emotions where that argument was concerned.

His hand wrapped around the package of pancake batter and he reached into one of the cabinets to pull down a mixing bowl. He dumped the dry mix into the bowl and added the necessary ingredients, stirring everything together into a thick batter. Moving around the kitchen, preparing breakfast with Maria sleeping close enough for him to hear her breathing calmed him and allowed him to focus a little more clearly on the night before and how it had affected everyone. Having the opportunity to look at it with fresh eyes allowed him to pinpoint the moment that had sent him over the edge.

"_I was there, Michael! We were all there! You've let that day build up and you've blown that incident way outta proportion!"_

Maybe he had allowed that moment to become something more than it was but all he had seen was what could happen to Maria. The fact that no one else had seemed to understand it or feel the impact of that moment had caused his protective instincts to shift into overdrive. Maybe he had allowed himself to become fixated on that moment and as a result it had become bigger than it really was.

How many times had they fought over the past two years? Oh, he and Max had always fought over things, but the last few years their fights had been more contentious. Their personalities clashed but oddly enough they also balanced each other out. The feeling that Max didn't lend credence to his opinions, that he didn't trust him and that fixing Michael's messes was his cross to bear were all things that had always stung and put him on edge.

Before they had taken off running for their lives there had been moments when it had felt like Max hadn't wanted to be involved. Or maybe it was just that he didn't want that responsibility weighing him down. He leaned over to pick the pan up, taking the sausage out and placing it on the waiting plate covered with a paper towel. One that stuck out in his mind was when he had gotten involved in the situation with Colonel Griffin, the pilot of the crashed Air Force jet.

He had taken the man's daughter back to his apartment after an attempt on her life, his intention to help her find her father and prove he wasn't the traitor the military was portraying him as. As soon as Max had learned what Michael intended to do he had gotten up and walked over to him, asking to speak with him alone.

"_What's going on?" Max had asked as soon as they were outside._

"_That's what we gotta try an' figure out."_

_His exasperation with Michael and the situation he had gotten himself into had shown when he spoke again. "What I'm tryin' to figure out, Michael, is you. I don't even know what to say."_

"_That's why you gotta trust your second-in-command to know what's right." At that point Max had gotten sarcastic with him and made some stupid remark about his next theory having to do with JFK being killed by aliens. Then he had continued by asking what was wrong with him. Michael had been taken aback by the question. "Me? What's happening to you? We've got a major situation here and you don't seem to care."_

It all boiled down to trust as far as he was concerned. It was like Max expected him to screw up. He stood back and waited for it to happen and when it did he swept in and mended the fences, swept up the pieces, made apologies, and offered himself up to do whatever was necessary to pay for Michael's mistakes. Kind of like the time he broke into the UFO museum and got caught. He cringed at the memory of Max coming down to the jail and talking to Milton. He could still remember the humiliation he felt at the owner of the UFO museum calling him a hoodlum and insisting that Max wouldn't know someone like him. Max's response of "Well, actually…" had only made him feel even smaller. Then of course Max had gone into his martyr speech.

"_I'd appreciate it if you didn't press charges. If there were any damages, I'd be happy to work them off."_

He hadn't done any damage, hadn't done any harm, so he knew Max wouldn't have anything to work off. It was that apologetic tone with the underlying hint of condescension that he hated. Part of him knew that it was just the way Max dealt with things but sometimes it was hard to swallow being the screw-up in the group. Last night had just brought all of those old feelings to the surface and amplified them. He shook those thoughts off as he checked the pancake, deciding it was just about ready to be flipped over. He reached for the bag of chocolate chips and tore the bag open, picking up the few that spilled onto the counter and popping them in his mouth to chew them slowly. He heard the sound of the covers rustling behind him and he smiled to himself. It was good to know that no matter what else happened, some things just never changed.

Maria kicked the covers off as she rolled over and her stomach growled appreciatively at the smell of breakfast cooking. She wrinkled her nose as she reached up to rub her hands over her face and she cringed when her right foot landed on a squishy towel. She jerked her foot back and rubbed it against the covers in an attempt to rid herself of that cold clammy feeling one got from accidentally stepping on a wet towel. "Gross," she muttered under her breath.

She rolled her head to the side, glancing at the clock and squinting to look again when it looked like it said 9:27am. She rubbed her eyes and blinked a couple of times just to make sure and then turned to glance at the window. She smiled when she saw the curtains tightly drawn against the sunlight beyond and knew that meant Michael had made sure nothing bothered her while she slept.

She propped herself up on her elbows and her gaze immediately sought Michael out, feeling a sense of peace wash over her when she saw him at the stove. He was munching on something while checking over whatever he was cooking. She sniffed the air and her stomach rumbled again when she identified the scent of sausage and pancakes. She crawled over to the edge of the bed and sat up, swinging her legs over the side and quickly jerking her feet back when her toes touched the floor. She snatched up a pair of socks lying haphazardly on the trunk at the foot of the bed and pulled them on. They were yesterday's socks but she wouldn't be wearing them for long, she reasoned.

She shifted the neckline of his tee shirt to keep it from hanging off of her shoulder, walking up behind Michael and feeling the urge to be playful with him. He was moving around the tiny kitchen comfortably, his movements easy and sure as he prepared breakfast. His relaxed demeanor brought a smile to her face as she watched him. She came up behind him where he stood at the stove and wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing her cheek against his back. "G'mornin', Spaceboy."

"Mornin'," he rumbled.

"Oooh, are those…" she peeked around him to look into the pan. "Michael, are those chocolate chip pancakes?"

He reached into the bag of chocolate morsels and tossed a few more in his mouth. "Gonna be." His arm lifted to let her slip under it and he lowered his head to give her a quick kiss as she settled against his side. "Why?"

She reached up to capture several long strands of her hair, twirling them between her fingers as she gave him a coy smile. "Um, no reason, it's just… don't forget to put extra chips in mine and no Tabasco sauce." She watched him add the chips and when it was ready he flipped his experimental first pancake over. She missed him cooking breakfast. It had been so long since he had been able to do something like this without being so on edge. Her eyes started to fill and she blinked rapidly to push the tears away to keep them from falling.

"Yeah, well, chicks that want extra chocolate chips and no Tabasco sauce need to be sittin' at the table."

"This _woman_," she corrected with a matching smirk, "needs to take a quick shower before breakfast."

"Food'll be ready in a few minutes."

"All I need is 10 minutes tops, Michael." She made a face. "I stink."

He looked down at her and his eyes darkened as his gaze traveled over her. "You smell like me."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Last night that was sexy… the next morning? Yeah, it just means I stink." She pinched his side. "Besides, you've already had a shower."

"Alright," he grumbled, "but hurry it up. Cold pancakes suck."

"Back in a flash," she said and stretched up on her tiptoes to give him a quick kiss. She turned to hurry to the bathroom and yelped when he smacked her backside with the spatula as she passed him.

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Isabel rolled over and reached blindly for the blankets that had somehow worked their way down and she tugged them back up over her shoulders, burrowing under them and sighing happily. The sunlight streaming in through the window behind the bed caught her attention and she frowned when she realized that it must be late morning. She reached up to scrub one hand over her face as she listened for any movement in the cabin and her eyes opened when absolute silence greeted her.

_That was odd,_ she thought. Kyle was usually up before her. He should be moving around making coffee and toast or whatever passed for breakfast, depending on his mood. Her mind slipped back to the night before, realizing that he had taken care of all of them during the fight between Michael and Max. It was what he did… picked up the pieces and held them together.

She tossed the covers back so she could get out of bed, deciding to take advantage of the peace and quiet while she could. She could get in a shower and be finished by the time he started moving around. Her hand froze on the edge of the top blanket and she glanced at the doorway when she realized that his blanket was still on her bed. He can't be in bed with just a sheet. He'd have to be freezing! Armed with the Mickey Mouse blanket she crept into the living room and paused when she saw him sleeping hard on the mattress wedged into the doorframe.

He was lying on his side, rolled up as tight as he could be to keep the small throw covering him. She stepped up next to him and shook his blanket out before placing it over him and crouching down to tuck it in around him. His face was relaxed in sleep, revealing the boyish features that weren't as prominent when he was awake. Her fingers brushed against the tips of his hair for a moment before she pulled her hand back and stood up once more. "Where would I be without you, Kyle? Where would any of us be?" Her chest tightened as she looked down at him, smiling slightly when his compact body began to uncurl as the heat from the blanket began to register. "You're a good guy."

"Yes, he is."

She turned around at the softly murmured words and she exchanged a look with Alex just before he shimmered out of sight once more. She shook her head as she went to get her things so she could go take a shower.

The sound of running water slowly filtered into Kyle's stirring brain and he rolled onto his back, stretching and yawning widely. His eyes cracked open and he glanced down at himself when he became conscious of the fact that he wasn't freezing where his limbs were now sticking out from under the throw. He raised one eyebrow when he his bleary gaze began to focus and he got an eyeful of a grinning Mickey Mouse. He reached up to finger the edge of the blanket, feeling cared for as he realized where it had come from. He tipped his head back, glancing towards the bathroom and he smirked at the thought of Isabel in that tiny shower. He heard the shower curtain rings' metallic rattle as they rolled along the rod and a heartbeat later came the grumbling as her toiletries fell off of the edge of the sink.

His mind kicked off thoughts of toiletries and shower curtains and focused on the woman behind that curtain. Sharing space and being cramped up in the van was one thing, but sharing space in a cabin was a whole other story. It was a little more difficult to rein his thoughts in, keep them within the boundaries of friendship. She was his best friend but his imagination easily provided a mental image of her in the shower, wet, little soapy bubbles trailing over… _No, stop!_ He was going into dangerous territory, imagining something that wasn't going to happen. _Just like he had last New Years' when he had imagined kissing her,_ he thought. "Don't be an idiot again," he muttered under his breath. He groaned as he pushed that thought back into the little hidden place at the back of his mind.

He grabbed the blanket as he got up and he paused to look at it, smiling. She cared. Maybe not the way he wanted her to, but she did care. He'd already had his shower so he replaced the mattress, folded his blanket up, and shuffled into the living room. He turned the furnace up a bit before going into the kitchen to start breakfast.

As he took things out of the refrigerator and placed them on the counter he started going over what needed to be done that day. Oh, there would be the festivities of hanging on the side of a barn to string lights just because she asked… well, not asked in the traditional sense. Regardless, there were lights to hang and he was the one who had been given the dubious honor. But there were other things to do and it was time to get the ball rolling.

After breakfast he was going to go up to the house and give Dean a call without bothering Michael or Max with it. There was no decision to be made. It needed to be done and he was going to do it. He paused over the frying pan, a piece of bacon stretched between his hands as he closed his eyes for a moment. "Buddha, we need a vehicle." He nodded to himself and placed the bacon in the pan, watching it begin to shrivel as it sizzled and popped. The plan began to formulate as he prepared breakfast and as he was dishing the eggs and bacon on the plates he spoke up without even realizing it.

"That's right. Kyle's taking action." He slid toast on a couple of saucers and nodded to himself. "Kyle has a plan." He glanced up at that familiar tingling sensation as the hairs on the back of his neck stood up and he turned to look at Isabel who was standing in the doorway watching him intently.

"Kyle, are you okay?"

"What? Yeah, fine." He cleared his throat and put their breakfast plates on the table. "Why?"

"No reason." Isabel watched him, her eyes tracing over him as he moved between the kitchen and the little breakfast nook. He was barefooted, wearing jeans and an old faded blue tee shirt. The yellow lettering across the front was just barely visible and if she hadn't known that it was the name of their high school she wouldn't have been able to make it out. "So, about last night…"

"Last night happened. It's over and done with." He shook his head as he glanced up at her. "Hey, we knew it was gonna happen eventually and truthfully, it needed to happen." He waved the spatula between them. "Me an' you, we're okay. We got back here and like anyone else we just needed our space. We understand that about each other. We're good."

She nodded but she was gauging his mood as she observed him, taking in every nuance of his expressions and movements as he went back to breakfast. He was more relaxed than she had seen him in a while and she knew what had happened the night before hadn't just been between Michael and Max. Kyle just handled things differently than other people. _He was right,_ she decided finally, _they were fine. Which was good because she relied heavily on him for his solid presence in her life. He was her best friend, her confidant, and her steady shoulder when she needed him. _"We have a lot to accomplish today," she said, accepting the saucers with toast on them.

"Uh-huh, startin' with me goin' up to the house and makin' a call to Dean," he said, watching her for any sign of the Christmas Nazi emerging. He knew part of it was a coping mechanism and that part was under control for the moment. He grabbed a couple glasses of juice before joining her at the table and he sat down across from her. "What's wrong?" She was staring at her plate, studying the eggs there like they held some elusive answer.

"You made the eggs just the way I like them." She picked up her napkin and unfolded it. "That was – "

"If you say the word sweet we're gonna have a fight," he growled.

"Me call you sweet?"

He rolled his eyes at her innocent tone. "Uh-huh, call me sweet and cramp my style." He reached for the jelly and started slathering it on his toast.

That brought a memory of last New Year's Eve to mind and it was accompanied by a fond and teasing smile. "You have style?"

He couldn't stop the smile that graced his features in response to her lighter tone. "Alright, after I get that call to Dean in, what's our day look like?" He listened as Isabel laid out the plans for the day, adding in suggestions every once in a while and making mental notes here and there.

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Maria looked up when Michael's fork scratched against his plate and she watched him as he pushed a piece of his pancake through the small lake of syrup it was swimming in. She could tell he had something on his mind but he hadn't yet spit the words out. He was getting close though, she was sure of it.

Michael pushed back from the table, his upper body leaning forward and braced on his forearms. "You can't get between me and someone else in a fight, Maria." He was quiet but his voice was firm as he spoke. "Don't ever do that again."

She nodded slowly, mulling over her thoughts as she carefully chose her words. "Michael, you wouldn't have hurt me. I know that."

He bristled at her statements. "Maria, I was a hair's breadth away from punching Max's lights out. If Kyle hadn't gotten you outta the way…" His lips clamped together tightly as he shook his head. "I was barely holding onto my control and we've all seen what I can do when I get outta control."

"I know what you're afraid of," she said, remembering Kyle pulling her away. "You didn't lose control though. Not so much as a twig cracked." She could see his features tense up and once again it bothered her that he didn't think she could handle herself. "Even if Kyle hadn't stepped in I would've been fine." She reached for her napkin only to be intercepted when Michael's fingers wrapped around her wrist. She looked up at him, held captive by the intense look in his eyes.

"Maria, I want you to listen to me." His grip tightened just enough to draw her gaze to his hand for a moment before her eyes lifted to his once more. She saw the frown on his face as he realized how tight his grip was and his fingers uncurled, his hand shifting down to take hers. His thumb stroked the inside of her wrist as he spoke, his voice low and insistent. "I want you to promise me you'll do this for me."

She suddenly realized just how important it was to him to have her trust, to do what he asked without question. She could see all of that and more in his dark eyes and she nodded, the motion all the affirmation he needed.

The silence in the cabin was broken by the sound of someone knocking on the door and their hands slowly separated as she stood to go and answer it. Michael savored the feeling of her fingernails dragging slowly across his palm as she reluctantly released his hand and he turned his head to follow her. He knew who was standing on the other side of the door without it ever being opened and that was confirmed when the door was pulled open and he heard Maria's smiling voice greet their visitor.

"Hey, girlfriend." She grabbed Max's coat sleeve and pulled him inside, her voice lowering as she glanced up at him. "You two gonna make up?"

He shrugged. "That's what I'm here for."

She grabbed her coat. "Then I'm on my way to see Liz."

"She's over at Kyle and Isabel's." He shot a furtive glance at Michael. "Our local Buddhist went up to the house to call Dean."

Maria pulled her outer gear on before going over to the table to give Michael a kiss. "You two play nice." She leaned over his shoulder to press a noisy kiss to his cheek when he just grunted and she grinned when he tried to squirm out of her reach. "I'm serious, Spaceboy."

"Go," he growled. "We'll catch up to you."

She shot a look between the two of them before huffing under her breath and heading for the door. _Guys! Either they were going to get into another fight or they were going to do whatever it was that guys did when they made up after a disagreement._ She rolled her eyes and reached for the doorknob when they just stared at each other from opposite sides of the room. _Guys!_


	32. Chapter 32

**Author's Note: **A few lines in this part were borrowed from the Season Two Roswell episode Skin and Bones.

**Part 32**

Maria hurried inside when Liz opened the door and she stomped the snow off of her boots before kicking them off and shrugging out of her coat. "Good grief, it's cold out there!" She glanced around at the warm interior and smiled when she saw Isabel straightening up.

"I guess Max made it to your cabin," Liz said with a glance outside.

"Yeah, I left the two of them staring at each other." She rolled her eyes. "I would say I'd love to be a fly on that wall but considering the conversation, or lack thereof, it'd probably be a waste of time." She sniffed the air and looked at Isabel again. "Did you have bacon for breakfast?"

"Kyle made bacon and eggs this morning," she answered absently.

"It smells wonderful."

"So how was your night?" Liz asked as she sat on the arm of the loveseat.

"Well, I woke up to a warm cabin and chocolate chip pancakes," Maria said as she flopped on the loveseat next to Liz.

"I had oatmeal and made Max his favorite breakfast."

Maria wrinkled her nose. "No, no, no oatmeal. Chocolate chip pancakes, extra chips in mine and a side order of sausage."

"My dad's secret recipe?" Liz asked.

"That's the one."

Isabel made a face. "How can you like oatmeal?"

Liz shrugged. "I don't know, I just do." She stuck her tongue out at her sister-in-law. "The same way I like vanilla ice cream I guess."

"Let me guess, Max had his usual egg in a hole." She rolled her eyes. How that could be her brother's favorite breakfast meal was beyond her. Cut a circle out of the center of a slice of bread and fry an egg up in its place. Gross.

"Well, it's what he likes," Liz defended her husband's choice. "It's a comfort food."

"Well, I guess after last night a little comfort was in order." Isabel sat down on the olive green vinyl recliner, her expression thoughtful. "This just can't be happening," she mused aloud.

Maria looked at Isabel and smiled slightly. The tall blonde still worried about Michael and she probably always would. She had always been the buffer between the two guys. Even after it had become the six of them instead of just the three of them she had still been the go-between. "I think they're gonna be okay, Isabel. It was past time for the two of them to get that out in the open. I think we all would've preferred it if they had handled that differently, but… Well, they both react to certain situations in ways that drive all of us nuts. Hopefully they'll get this sorted out and when they come down here things'll be right again."

"Do you think guys actually talk things out?"

Maria and Liz exchanged a look and snorted at the same time.

"Maybe _your _guy does," Liz teased.

"Yeah," Maria smirked, "Kyle does have that whole Buddhist thing going on."

Isabel studied her fingernails for a moment. "Would you like me to ask him to teach Michael and Max to meditate?"

"We all know how well that'd go over," Maria laughed. "Can you picture Michael sitting on the floor meditating? He doesn't have that kind of patience."

"Max does," Liz shook her head, "but you're not gonna get him to agree to anything like that. And that suggestion probably wouldn't be welcome right now anyway."

Maria slouched deeper into the loveseat and looked up at Liz. "What kind of mood was he in last night?"

"Ungh, bad. I don't know about Michael, but… when Max is that emotional and pissed off at the same time… it's kinda like watching a three-year-old throw a temper tantrum." She giggled and tried to stop herself but it just turned into a snort that set Maria off.

Isabel watched them, feeling out of place.

"If the situation hadn't been so serious I might've started laughing at him."

Maria laughed even harder as she pictured what Liz was describing. "I hope I never witness that because I know I'd laugh." She glanced over at Isabel and realized that they had left her out as they poked fun at their guys. "How about Kyle?"

"He didn't have much to say." She got up and walked over to one of the windows to look outside. "Actually he didn't have anything to say last night."

"He had a lot on his mind." Maria tipped her head to one side to follow Isabel's progress around the room. "But you probably talked to him this morning, right? I mean, last night didn't have anything to do with you. He's not mad at you."

"How's Michael?" Isabel asked, turning the conversation around.

"He's slowly getting better. I gave him his space last night but after two hours I decided he'd had about as much space as he needed. The lake behind us is frozen over and when he took off after the fight with Max, that's where he went. He was back there staring up at the stars."

Liz watched her friend and thought about the volatile hybrid's reaction the night before. She couldn't imagine trying to calm him down and she was thankful that Max didn't get like that.

"It was so peaceful out there." Maria sighed at the memory. "It reminded me of when I saw him on the dreamplane. Remember when he was so sick? The scenery reminded me of that, only it was the winter version." She tried not to frown as she recalled his first words to her last night.

"Wow, really?" Liz's gaze dropped to the floor at the memory of the fear that had taken hold of her that day. Before her mind could latch onto the regret she felt at being unable to participate in the healing circle she looked up and caught the expression on her friend's face. "What happened?"

Maria's features were taut as she fidgeted. "Nothing really." She tugged on her right earlobe as her eyes stared at that scene from the night before. "It's just… the first thing out of his mouth was whether or not I could get on a snowmobile and get outta here if something happened." She stood up and started to pace. "I just hate being seen as the weak link because of my status as the human in the group."

"It's not just you he's worried about, Maria," Isabel said quietly. "This whole time we've been on the run Michael's the one whose held things together. I think it's time for us to all get involved in the decision making."

Liz reached for Maria as she passed her again, pulling her down to sit next to her. "Maria, no… I may not exactly understand Michael, but there's no way he sees you as weak." She took her friend's hand between both of hers, her insistent voice drawing Maria's gaze. "You're the one who saved the day when Nicholas came to Roswell for Max, Isabel, Michael, and…" she swallowed hard. "Anyway, he doesn't think you're weak, and you can't be thinking like that."

They looked up when they heard someone kicking the doorframe outside and a moment later the door opened and Kyle stepped inside, stomping his feet. His gaze bounced around the room, taking in the girls' positions. Maria was sitting on the loveseat with Liz perched on the arm, the two of them leaning in towards each other; their closeness indicated they had been in the middle of a conversation. Even when they were sitting across a room they were leaning towards each other, their body language evidence that their trust in each other was absolute.

Isabel was standing across the room, her posture perfectly poised as she stared outside as if the scenery held the answer to some unspoken question. She was isolated from the others and that saddened him. It wasn't unusual for her to be separate from the other girls even when they were in close quarters. Maria and Liz shared a bond that Isabel wasn't a part of and even though he knew they tried to include her it was all too easy to fall into their normal routine and before long she would pull away.

"So… cabin in the middle of nowhere, food in the fridge, and three pretty girls… what more could a guy want?" he asked as he shrugged out of his winter gear.

Isabel smiled at his attempt to bring all three of them into a conversation even though his opening was bound to get him into hot water.

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Michael sat at the table, staring at the last piece of sausage on his plate. He could hear Max shifting around uncomfortably and he wondered if he was going to say anything. Maybe he was just gonna stand there and stare holes in the back of his head.

Max watched Michael as he picked his fork up and cut the sausage patty in half. It was something to occupy him, something to keep his hands busy while he waited for Max to speak up. He scratched his neck absentmindedly before shoving his hands in his pockets. His expression was determined as he took a step forward and cleared his throat.

"You were right." He reached up to straighten a picture on the wall. "I would've lost it if that cop had approached Liz." He shrugged and shoved his fists deep in his pockets again. "I don't think I would've obsessed over it the way you have." He saw Michael's right hand tighten around his fork and he hunched his shoulders as he carefully selected his next words. "Maybe if I'd been more of a friend since we started runnin' you wouldn't be so on edge." He walked around the room, picking things up and putting them back down. "The truth is that I'm the one who screwed things up, Michael, not you."

Michael got up and carried the dishes to the sink, turning the water on and watching the congealed syrup thin out to be washed down the drain. His mind was on a conversation he'd had with Jim Valenti while sitting behind bars after Deputy Hansen had pegged him for being in the area where they had discovered Pierce's bones.

"_I have no clue who or what we're up against. And I've been so pissed off at Max for not leading, but he doesn't know any more than I do. None of us do. We're all in the dark waiting to be attacked, and all I can think is what if I'm not strong enough?"_

"This leadership thing," he said finally, "it's difficult." He shrugged and started to wash the dishes. _Why couldn't Max have waited until after Maria had washed the dishes?_

Max grabbed a dishtowel and took the plate when Michael reached over to place it in the drying rack. "It's a pretty lonely place sometimes," he admitted, thinking about what Liz had said the night before. She had pointed out one of their major differences. Michael went with his gut and tended to act first. And he went over the options, weighing and measuring everything before making a decision.

They cleaned the kitchen in companionable silence, each lost in their own thoughts for a while before Max spoke up again. "I know you're scared of losing Maria."

"Okay, we don't have to talk this to death, Maxwell," Michael muttered as he went to wipe the table off. "Leave all that chick talk to the girls and Kyle."

Max rolled his eyes and looked down at his wedding ring. "I'm just sayin' I know that fear." He bit the inside of his cheek. "I lost Liz once…"

"You've had your share of breakups." He balled the rag in his hand up and threw it in the direction of the sink, fisting the air when it landed against the back with a wet splat. "That Tess thing's on you though."

He shook his head, not wanting his thoughts to go there. "I'm talking about her dying, Michael."

The somber tone caught Michael's attention and he turned to look at his friend. "What're you talkin' about?"

"I don't have to wonder what it would feel like to lose her because I already know. You hear people talk about losing the person they love… feeling like a part of themselves has been ripped away, like their own heart stops beating and they can't breathe. They're right… all of it. Only it's actually much worse than that. I just don't have the words to adequately describe it."

"What the hell are you talkin' about?" he repeated, his voice rising. _Maybe Max had finally cracked. Stuck in the great white north, surrounded by miles of snow… White, _he mused as Max avoided his gaze. Something clicked in his mind and he crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned one hip against the table. Max had never really told them what Pierce had done to him in the white room and he had never asked, knowing it was off-limits. "Pierce."

Max tensed up, hating that the man's name could still pull this reaction out of him. "He had a device… it was like one of those virtual reality visors… I don't know if it was because the technology was that good or if it was because of whatever they were shooting in my veins…"

"You don't have to tell me this stuff, Max."

He shook his head and swallowed hard, forcing himself to continue. "I _felt_ her die, Michael. Because of me." He stared out through the window, his gaze focused on something he hoped Michael would never see.

Max's revelation about the white room and what Pierce had done to him was all he needed to put him back in the UFO center the day he had killed the agent. He had stood there, watching Max as he healed Kyle… saving a life… giving someone he didn't even like a second chance. He had looked down at his hands and then at the dead agent lying on the floor and somewhere deep inside, in a part of himself he hadn't recognized, he had felt a sense of satisfaction. It had taken time for him to come to grips with that feeling. Initially he had felt sick; disturbed that he had felt something remarkably close to pleasure at taking an enemy's life. Over time he had learned to accept that it was the soldier in him. Rath had been a cold, calculating, seasoned soldier and his actions that day had awakened that part of him. It wasn't something he liked, but he knew it was something that was necessary. "I'm glad he's dead," he said finally.

"So am I," Max admitted after a moment.

The silence in the cabin was broken only by the constant drip of the faucet that he hadn't quite turned all the way off and the second hand ratcheting its way around the bedside clock. "I've never experienced what you described and I never want to. What I have experienced is the paralyzing fear that one of these days Maria's gonna get hurt… and I'm gonna be the one who's responsible for it."

Max shook his head. "Michael, you'd never hurt her. She's never been safer than when she's with you."

"Yeah, great life I've given her, Maxwell. Stay with me and run for your life… stay in Roswell and maybe be safe."

"Do you really think she would've been safer staying in Roswell? If nothing else, they would've had her on association with the rest of us."

He snorted derisively, ignoring the truth in Max's statement. "Shit like what happened last night? Do you know how easily she could get hurt? All I've gotta do is think it and it happens… I blow shit up. And last night? Last night she tried to get between us and if one of us had swung she would've gotten hit." He shook his head. "I can't have her putting herself at risk like that."

"You'd protect her with your life, Michael. Do you think she doubts that?"

His hands dropped to his sides, clenching and unclenching for a moment before moving to curl around the edge of the table. "No. She knows that without a doubt."

"You've gotta trust her to know when to get involved."

"I trust her, but knowing when to get involved," he chuckled gruffly and shook his head. "She leads with her heart and if there's one thing I've learned it's that her heart and common sense are rarely on the same page." He sighed and dropped his gaze to the floor. "I made her promise me she wouldn't get between me an' anyone else again."

"Made her promise, huh?"

Michael snorted. "Yeah, and when she promised she meant it. Put us in another situation like last night though and her heart's gonna override that promise."

"She just has your best interest at heart, Michael." He could see the argument building and he shook his head. "All she can do is try her best and maybe we can help her along by not letting ourselves end up in that situation again."

He nodded. "Think we can do that?"

"I think we can if we follow your advice." He smiled as he folded the dishtowel and draped it over the drying rack. "It was actually pretty sound."

Michael glanced up at Max and smirked. "I gave you sound advice?"

"Yeah, you told me if we just stick together we're gonna make it. Remember that?"

_Their talk in Vegas,_ he realized. But all he said was, "Vaguely."

Max leaned back against the sink and braced his hands on the edge. "I haven't been very good about giving you a hand with makin' the decisions, but uh… you haven't asked me either." He shrugged when Michael shot an, _are you kidding me_ look at him. "I'm not tryin' to put this on you. I just… any time you've asked for an opinion you've turned to Kyle."

Michael's right thumb tapped against the table as he went over what Max had just said. He had relied on Kyle and not just once or twice. It was becoming second nature to take Kyle's opinions into consideration. When had that happened? _When Max backed out on you,_ his conscience spoke up. "Because you were mentally MIA and Kyle was willing to step up to the plate."

"Did you ever think about asking me?"

"No."

Max bit his bottom lip as he nodded.

"Quit beatin' a dead horse, Maxwell. It's done and over. You don't want the throne, the crown, whatever… fine. I don't give a shit about the king. Maybe I did in another life, but I'm not livin' that other life." He met Max's gaze directly. "And neither are you."

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Kyle's thumb was steadily punching the 'up' button on the remote, flipping through the generous selection of what obviously had to be the top 10 channels in these parts. _Why else would anyone have only 10 channels?_ He made yet another pass without finding a single thing worth watching and he dropped the remote on the cushion beside him as he glanced towards the bathroom. _What were they doing in there anyway? They'd been in there for like 15 minutes already!_

He sighed loudly and it went unnoticed. Or ignored. "Hey, a guy could bust a gut out here, ya know?" That also went unnoticed. Or ignored. Thank God the bathroom was so small! There was no way the girls could last much longer in their meeting. That he hadn't been invited to. His bored gaze moved around the room and landed on a couple of board games. "Board games for a very bored man," he muttered.

He got to his feet to look at the two games. The one on top had a note stuck to it: missing marbles. "Well, you can't play Hungry Hungry Hippo without marbles," he muttered. How could anyone lose all of the marbles for the game? "Oh, well." He made a face at the next one, but picked it up and carried it over to the loveseat. He sat down and balanced it on his lap, lifting the top off and setting the game up on the coffee table. He flipped the top over to read the instructions printed on the underside.

"Hmph." He shuffled the deck of colored cards and placed them in the designated place on the board. "Okay, so we pick one of these little gingerbread people…" he grabbed two, inspecting them carefully before placing them on the space marked Start. He hummed to himself as he continued reading. "Youngest player goes first." He picked up the two playing pieces and held up one and then the other. "So, which one of us is the youngest?" His gaze moved between the two pieces and after a moment he placed them on the board again, setting one ahead of the other.

He leaned forward and lifted up the first card. "Picture card means…" he glanced over the rules again. "Player one moves to the first picture spot either before or behind the start spot. Well, that's stupid," he mumbled. "Why would you go backwards from the starting point? Okay, Kyle, the goal is to get to the Candy Castle and win Candy Land." He shook his head and placed the first player on the designated spot and then reached for the next card. "Another picture card? Really?" He threw it on top of the other card and moved gingerbread piece number two over to join the first one. "Well, we're not gonna make it to the Candy Castle this way. Which one of you shuffled this deck?"

"Um, Kyle, what're you doing?"

He turned his head when Michael and Max walked in. _They were like human… hybrid lock-picks,_ he thought with an internal eye roll. "Just occupying myself while waiting for the girls to conclude their meeting." He shrugged when that earned him an odd look from Michael. "Good to see the two of you didn't kill each other." He motioned to the board game and waved them over. "C'mon, it's not too late for you to get in on this action." He pulled a five dollar bill out of his pocket and dropped it in the center of the game board. "Max, looks like it's your turn."

"What? I'm not playing… what is that anyway?"

Michael dug a five out of his pocket and threw it into the pot before leaning over and snatching a fudge-striped cookie out of the open package next to Kyle's left elbow. "Satellite out?" he asked, nodding at the television that had been left on the weather channel.

"No, I just like the weather. Fascinating stuff," he deadpanned. "C'mon, Evans, what're you waitin' for?"

Max checked his pockets, finally pulling out four ones, three quarters, two dimes and a nickel that he deposited on top of the rest of the money.

Michael and Kyle both made a production of leaning in to look at the money Max had just laid down.

"Wife's holdin' the purse strings, huh?" Kyle asked.

Michael laughed out loud and the two high-fived each other when Max just grabbed one of the chairs from the kitchen table and brought it over to join them.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Maria was wedged between the toilet and the sink, the edge of the countertop digging into her hip. She craned her head around to take a look at herself in the mirror. Her hair and makeup was picture perfect and she snorted softly at the thought that it was a perk she'd miss if she wasn't on the run.

Isabel was busy trying to encourage Liz to let her change her look up a little but the brunette was digging her heels in. The taller girl finally just made a sound of impatience and waved her hand over Liz giving her an instant makeover. She gave her a touch of eyeliner along with a soft pink blush that just popped with the cinnamon color on her lips.

Liz smiled weakly at her image in the mirror. It wasn't that it didn't look good because it did. Something her sister-in-law would point out if she dared to mention it. But she usually made changes that were more subtle and not quite so obvious.

Maria tried to squeeze past Isabel and Liz in an effort to get to the door. "You look wonderful, Chica. C'mon, live a little spicy." She grunted when she realized that squeezing wasn't so much an option as a challenge. "God, I can't breathe. I need to open a window."

Isabel rolled her eyes and shook her head. "There's no window, only…" She lunged as well as she could when Maria reached for the dreaded fan switch. "No! Whatever you do, don't turn that thing on. It sounds like a jet taking off in here."

"Oww," Maria exclaimed when Isabel nearly relocated her windpipe with her elbow. She froze and the girls looked at each other when a sound none of them had heard in a long time suddenly came from the other side of the door. Her eyes narrowed and she forgot about her throat as she turned her head, straining to hear the sound again. "Was that… did I just hear Michael… was he laughing?"

Liz shrank back when her sister-in-law focused on her again. "What?" she asked hesitantly.

"Time's up. What's it gonna be?"

The smaller girl took one last glance at her reflection, thinking about it long enough to make Isabel roll her eyes again. "I guess it's not too much."

"Vanilla and oatmeal," Isabel muttered under her breath. "Forget spicy, just stick with sweet."

Liz stuck her tongue out at her and reached for the doorknob.

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"No, you can't make that move," Max insisted. "You're cheating!"

Kyle shook his head, denying the accusation as he set his piece down with purpose.

"Cheater! The stupid instructions say you have to take the picture spot closest to you." Michael wrestled with Kyle for the piece and in a single move that he hadn't seen coming Kyle had him pinned to the floor.

"It is the closest," Kyle argued. "It's all about perception."

Max leaned over, grinning at Michael's reddened face. "I don't think your point was clear enough." He nodded at Kyle. "That's 160 pounds of Greco-roman wrestler right there," he pointed out helpfully.

The hybrid glare was in full force. "You wanna gimme a hand here, Maxwell?"

Kyle just rolled his eyes as he leaned back to release Michael, not expecting it when Max plowed into him. Michael scrambled over him, nearly squashing them both as he and Max fought to pry the little gingerbread playing piece out of his hand.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Isabel, Maria and Liz squeezed into the doorway between the living area and her bedroom, their disbelieving gazes locked on the guys.

_Were they wrestling? Why?_

Maria rolled her eyes at that thought. _Why did guys do most of the things they did?_ There was no telling how they ended up in these situations when two or more of them were together. She popped free of the pileup in Isabel's doorway and crossed the room to crouch down next to the guys, careful to avoid the tangle of arms and legs that were jerking in every direction as the guys fought over… _What was it?_ "What're you boys doing down here?"

"Maria, get that piece," Michael mumbled around the hand Kyle had shoved in his face.

Max grunted when one of the guys elbowed him in the ribs as he struggled to keep Kyle's arm down while Michael did his best to pry his fingers open. "Just get that piece from him. He's trying to cheat!"

"That's what the three of you are fighting over?" She rested her elbow on one of her knees and cupped her chin in her hand as she looked at Kyle. "Are Buddhists allowed to cheat?"

"I wasn't cheating."

"Go ahead and give her that line of bull about perception," Michael grumbled as his fingertips hooked around one of the tiny gingerbread arms. He popped it free of Kyle's grasp and it flew across the room, hopping across the carpet and bouncing to a stop at Isabel and Liz's feet.

She hid a smile as she looked at three guys who were more relaxed than she had seen them in longer than she could remember. But it was Michael's expression as the guys got to their feet, pushing and shoving each other that held her captivated. "So, what took you boys so long to get up here?"

"Someone forgot to do the dishes."

She just rolled her eyes at him. "You're the one who got up and made a mess out of the kitchen."

"You seemed to be enjoying the fruits of my labor." He motioned around the room. "You guys do anything useful?"

"Well, while you boys were busy staring each other down, we were busy planning our next move. Kyle called Dean and he's got things moving with the van. Oh, and Isabel, Liz and I have decided that without our input things have been a mess so we'll now be actively involved with the decision making."

Michael shot a _what the hell_ look at Kyle.

"Oh, no, don't look at me like that," he protested. "I had nothin' to do with their," he lifted his hands, making bunny quotes, "plan."

A wry smile lifted Max's lips as he reached up to scratch his neck. "Um, didn't you go up to the house to call Dean about the van?"

"Well, someone had to do it before the two of you turned that ice field out there back into a lake." He leaned over in front of Isabel to pick up the playing piece. "Somethin' like that would kinda blow our cover." Kyle walked over to the guys, tossing the little gingerbread piece up in the air and catching it again. "I've got some good news. Shane was so interested in seeing the van that Dean drove out to get him last night. He took a look at it and apparently he liked it enough that we've got a meeting with him and Dean at the dealership at noon today."

Michael rolled his shoulders and snatched the playing piece out of the air when Kyle walked past him, preening. "So, made a plan with the chicks, Valenti?"

That propelled Isabel out of the doorway across the room. "Chicks are baby birds, Michael. We," she indicated herself, Liz and Maria, "are intelligent women of the 21st century who now have a say in the decisions affecting the group."

He snorted at that, which earned him a look from Isabel. He could feel the lack of tension in the room, something that he knew was the result of him and Max being back on track.

Max glanced at his sister before turning his attention back to Kyle. "So, what's the plan?"

"Are you deaf, Evans?" He held his hands up, palms facing the ceiling as he looked between Max and Michael. "Um, Kyle doesn't have a plan. Kyle wasn't involved in the discussion. They went in the bathroom and locked the door. You haven't had the pleasure of seeing our postage-size bathroom, but trust me when I tell you there wasn't room for me in there too."

Isabel snorted. "Translation: No room for all that hot air."

Michael smirked. "Sounds like the honeymoon's over, Valenti. Quit avoiding the subject and just tell us what the plan is."

Maria looked up at him when he came to rest beside her. "We've decided we should all go to the dealership to decide on the van's fate."

He shook his head. "That bathroom must've been severely low on oxygen. There aren't enough seats in Edward's truck for all of us unless some of you are riding in the bed." He caught Maria's all-knowing grin when Liz spoke up as she walked over to Max.

"Actually we thought we'd just ask Julia if we could borrow her car."

That got the boys to start snickering. Yeah, like that plan was ever gonna work. The three of them exchanged similar looks of humor at the girls' obviously bad plan.

"So, um… just to get this straight, you're gonna ask Edward and Julia if we can just have the keys to their car to take a 12-mile drive over to the next town." Kyle's expression was incredulous. "And you think they're just gonna hand 'em over after knowin' our little Miami group for all of four days?"

Michael snorted and elbowed him. "I feel a bet comin' on, Valenti. One you can't cheat on."

Isabel glared at them. "That's exactly what we're gonna do."

"I think I'll stay outta that bet," Max said, shaking his head. "I'd rather not bet against them."

"Wuss." Michael was already reaching for his wallet. "Twenty sound good?"

"Throw it down, Guerin. Easy money."

The girls started talking about their plan more in-depth while the guys discussed the rules of the bet. The six of them finally had the opportunity to just enjoy each other's company without the contention that had plagued them for so long and they took advantage of the moment.


	33. Chapter 33

**Part 33**

Edward was drinking his coffee and browsing through the newspaper as he watched their guests milling around the kitchen in different stages of winter gear undress. He reached for one of the cookies Julia had put on a plate for him after breakfast, chewing it slowly as his eyes drifted back to the article he had been reading. The kids were in a much easier frame of mind this morning and he wondered what had transpired after they had left the night before. Michael especially seemed much more… not so much relaxed, but at ease with their situation. It was obvious in his demeanor. The way he moved, the way he observed everything around him, that was still there but it wasn't as edgy as it had been.

He was still watchful as he hung his gear up and turned to glance over the others as if making sure he knew where they were at all times. His gaze finally settled on the girls and Edward slowly lowered the top of his paper, feeling that something was about to happen. He shifted in his chair and glanced to the side when he jostled the table and the spoon in Maggie's abandoned breakfast bounced against the bowl making a metallic rattling sound. After finishing their meals the boys had disappeared down to the basement to play video games and his little girl had gone up to her room for… well, he didn't really know what for. To make her bed maybe.

His own gaze strayed to his wife, watching her as she washed the dishes and immediately started conversing with the girls. He knew she had plans to spend the day with Dayna and their family, working on Mr. Tony's place for the big event, which meant at some point he was going to be put to work.

"Were you able to figure anything out about your van earlier?" she asked, shooting a glance at Kyle.

"Actually, we wanted to talk to you about that," Maria spoke up.

_Um-hmm, here it comes,_ Edward thought as his eyes slid over the group once more.

"Dean's friend Shane is interested in the van," Kyle started. "He wants to meet us at noon…" he trailed off when he was suddenly pinned by three pairs of eyes. He made a slight bowing gesture and then gave a wave of his right hand.

"What Kyle means is that we'd like to meet Shane and see what he has to say about our van," Maria continued. "So we were wondering if maybe we could borrow your car for a short trip out to the dealership."

_Ten… _Edward's gaze shifted to the right side of the room. _Nine…_

Isabel straightened the hem of her sweater and flipped her hair back over her shoulder as she straightened her posture.

_Eight… _The top corner of the newspaper folded over obediently when he clenched the paper with his left hand. _Seven…_

Liz began to present their argument in a logical and concise manner as she reached up to tuck a few loose strands of hair behind her ear.

_Six… _His next stop was the vibrant little blonde who took up their case. _Five…_

Maria smoothed her hands over the fuzzy emerald green sweater she was wearing as she spoke, aware of Michael's eyes on her. She picked at a tiny loose thread on the seam near the front pocket of her black skinny jeans, knowing he was following every move she made.

_Four… _The newspaper lowered as his eyes bounced over to Michael and he nearly laughed out loud. He smirked at the slightest hint of discomfort on the boy's features. He hadn't yet learned to control himself around his girl. _Three…_

Michael's higher brain functions seemed to switch off as his sharp gaze zeroed in on Maria's mouth; her full lips shiny and pink as they presented that killer smile that did him in every time.

"We probably wouldn't be gone very long. I'm not sure what all there is to really talk about since there's no chance of resurrecting the engine. But if Dean's friend is interested in buying it…"

_Two… One… Yes, folks, we have liftoff! Time to present a united front. Watch and learn, kids, this's the way it's done._

Edward got up and moved to stand behind his wife when she turned to face the group after drying her hands and putting the towel away. His arms slid around her waist as his gaze moved over each of them in turn. "So, let me see if I've got this straight… after four days you want us to turn over the keys to my wife's car. To you. The merry little band of travelers from Miami. Alone. To – "

Julia turned her head to look at her husband. "Edward."

He shook his head and continued when she faced the group once more. "The boys can ride in the truck with me so they can make their meetin' with Dean and Shane. The girls can stay here and give you and Dayna a hand with Mr. Tony's place. The boys don't need to be playing video games while – "

"Of course you can borrow my car," Julia interjected.

Edward's head snapped around. Somehow, somewhere, she had completely missed out on the plan to present a united front. "Well, Julia, I don't see why all six of them need to be there. And besides, there's a lot of work to be done over at Mr. Tony's place.

Michael almost smirked when the girls glanced at each other, suddenly at a loss for words. He almost kept his mouth shut, just to give Edward the win, but he had a twenty spot riding on this thing. So Maria had to get her way this time. He cleared his throat and took a step forward. "Actually, the reason we need the girls to tag along is this one here," he indicated Maria with a nod of his head. "Her mom owns the van. Real hippie type if ya know what I mean. Anyway, she's been goin' on about how anything happening to that hunk of junk would be the end of her life as she knows it since she first learned to drive. And, well, I know her mom, so I can't really dispute that fact." He moved back when she elbowed him. "So, if it comes down to havin' to sell it, she has her mom's permission to do so, but she has to make sure it's goin' to a good home." He held his hands up. "Total hippie, not really much more of an explanation there."

Maria turned her head to look at him, eyes narrowed to slits at his 'helpful' commentary. "We're lucky that she's so generous then, aren't we? Somehow I don't think we would've made this trip packed into that two-seater you drove."

His lips turned up at the corners when he saw that playful, fiery sparkle in her eyes.

Kyle snorted at the two of them, more to distract them than anything else. Michael could talk smack about Max and Liz all he wanted, but he and Maria had their own thing going on and if the moment was right they'd completely forget anyone else existed outside of them. "I thought when we get back I'd get started on Isabel's first order of business." He glanced at her and caught the smile she sent in his direction.

"What would that be?" Edward asked.

"He's gonna hang from the rafters like a friggin' bat and hang lights," Michael muttered.

"Actually, he'll be checking lights this afternoon," Isabel corrected. "We have to be sure they're all in working order before they're hung."

Michael shook his head. "Oh, no, don't look at me. I'm not climbin' up on the side of a house, a barn, or anything else to hang lights."

"No," she murmured with a smile that brought that Christmas Nazi gleam out in her eyes. "No, Michael, you won't be hanging lights."

"I know, that's what I just said."

Max shook his head and wrapped his arms around Liz, pulling her back against his chest as he watched Michael stick his foot in it right up to his knee.

"You have a costume fitting this afternoon." Her finger pointed at each of them in turn… all of them except Kyle. "Santa, Snowflake, Santa's Chief Reindeer Wrangler, and Candycane. I'll expect all of you to be ready when we get back."

Michael muttered under his breath as her temporary insanity came back with a vengeance. From that point on he lost interest in the conversation, his gaze wandering around the room until it landed on the little stuffed bear sitting in her chair at the table. An empty bowl and glass sat just to her right and in front of that a box of cereal stood, the plastic bag inside torn open and sticking up past the opening. His attention was drawn away when the sound of little feet thumping against the stairs at rapid intervals could be heard from the hallway. After a couple of seconds the thumping slowed and a moment later Maggie appeared in the doorway.

The little girl's blue eyes shone brightly as she took in the people gathered around the kitchen and she moved to pick her bear up, holding it tightly to her chest as she lowered her head to listen to what was being said. She smiled and walked over to Michael, crooking her finger in a bid for him to come closer. She held the bear out to him when he crouched down in front of her and said, "Cindy wants to tell you somethin'."

Maria rested her hand on his shoulder, giving it a light squeeze when his gaze darted between the little girl and the stuffed bear.

_This was payback for something he'd done in his previous life, he was sure of it. _He cleared his throat and did his best to keep from expressing just how uncomfortable he was as he nodded. He felt like a complete idiot when she held the bear up so it could 'whisper' in his ear. _What was he supposed to do now? He had no idea what the stupid thing was supposed to have said._ His gaze landed on Maggie and he watched her fidget for a moment as she cradled the beloved toy to her chest, squeezing it tighter.

"Cindy says she missed you at breakfast," she said in a stage whisper. "We had cocoa puffs, toast with grape jelly, and orange juice." She gave him a toothy smile. "Your favorites."

"Maggie."

She turned when her mother called her. "Yes, Mama?" She hurried ahead before her mother could get the words out. "I was real careful walkin' down the steps…"

Julia smiled at her. "Yes, you were… good job. But did you make your bed?"

"I left it real neat. I didn't hardly roll over in it last night."

"Maggie."

"Yes, ma'am, I'm going." She turned to look at Michael. "Can Cindy sit on your lap while I make my bed?"

Michael could feel all eyes on him, the room so silent it was obvious everyone was holding their collective breath as they waited for him to answer.

"Sure she can, sweet pea," Maria answered with a smile.

While he appreciated having the spotlight taken off of him that was not exactly the kind of help he had been hoping for. He looked down when Maggie suddenly moved closer, putting the bear in the crook of his right arm and pushing and prodding until she felt the toy was comfortable.

"I'll be right back," she said with a smile for him.

He watched her as she leaned in to whisper in Cindy's ear and he felt a protective knot in his chest when he heard her words.

"Captain Michael will keep you safe." She gave the bear a final pat and hurried out of the room to make her bed.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

They had settled in the living room a short while later when Dayna arrived and Edward escaped to go and collect the boys. "If I have to do this so do the two of you," he muttered under his breath. He greeted the woman as Julia brought her inside and then excused himself to escape downstairs.

"Ah, you're all here," Dayna said as she and Julia came into the living room. "I just want to thank you again for your generous volunteer work."

"Wait, we're not getting paid – "

Isabel silenced Michael's quiet muttering with a slap to the back of his head.

"It means so much to all of us here at Tawas Lake," the woman finished. She smiled gently when she noticed the stuffed animal's placement. "Oh, aren't you just the sweetest thing, holding Miss Cindy."

Michael slouched down further in his seat, the polar bear carefully cradled in his arm. _Yes, the humiliation was coming full circle._ He shot a glare at Kyle when he coughed loudly in an effort to keep from laughing out loud. _Keep it up, Valenti, yours is coming._

"My bed's all made, Daddy," Maggie announced as she came back into the room. She looked behind her when Daddy and the boys came in from the basement. "My bed's all made," she repeated and made a beeline for Cindy. She stopped short just in front of Michael and Maria and her eyes dropped to the bear he held.

He picked the bear up and held it out to her, not expecting it when her hand settled over his, her fingers tracing over one of the wide silver rings he wore. "You've got hands almost as big as Cindy's mom." She looked around the room when the others started laughing, not sure what was so funny.

Maggie brought Cindy up to her ear and listened to her.

_Now what?_ he wondered, having no clue what she would come up with next.

"Cindy wants to know if we can sit on your lap."

_That was easy enough to comply with,_ he decided. "Sure," he leaned forward to pick her up and situate her comfortably as he resumed his position again. It was only a matter of seconds before she listened as the bear started whispering again and he mentally rolled his eyes at his thought.

"Um, Cindy wants to know… what kinda breakfast did you have this mornin'?"

Michael gave her a small smile and scratched his eyebrow with his thumb. "We had pancakes."

Maria shook her head at him, smiling as she elaborated. "We had chocolate chip pancakes made from a secret recipe that belongs to my friend Liz's family."

Maggie's eyes grew wide. "You can have pancakes with chocolate chips in them?" She turned to Mama and Daddy, her mouth hanging open.

Sitting on Michael's other side Max couldn't help but laugh quietly at the little girl's reaction to Maria's announcement. He hid his mouth behind his hand, speaking softly into his friend's ear. "So, you know Santa _and_ you make pancakes with candy in them?"

Maria felt Michael tense up at Max's teasing words, knowing what it was taking for him to keep from visibly reacting. She rested her hand on his knee, exerting enough pressure to keep him from getting up and asking for the keys to the car. She smiled at the little girl and leaned into the crook of his arm, taking up the space previously occupied by one happy little polar bear. "Yes, chocolate chips are good in them. They're my favorite."

Kyle was ready to burst as he watched the scene before him. It was his notice of Liz that broke through his humor. She was watching her husband, her expression one he couldn't quite decipher. He turned when he realized Isabel was making arrangements to meet Dayna and the others over at Mr. Tony's place when they returned from their trip to the dealership. He didn't bother hiding his grin when she turned and with an impatient gesture, shook the keys to get Michael and Maria's attention.

"Are you two ready?"

Michael reached for the keys, but with Maggie and Cindy in his lap Maria was quicker to make a grab for them.

"Oh, no way, buddy, I'm driving."

"You're leaving?" Maggie asked, glancing around at them.

Michael cleared his throat. "Just for a little while. We've gotta take care of some business with our van. We'll be back after we finish up with that."

She sighed loudly, relieved to hear that they would be returning. "Okay."

After getting ready to go out again the six of them made their way along the path that had been shoveled to the garage. Maria was walking next to Michael and she linked their arms together as she smiled up at him. "I'd say thanks for the help back there, but…"

Michael just shot a knowing smirk at her and snapped his fingers in Kyle's direction. "No problem." He rubbed his fingers together when his bid for attention went ignored. "Hey, Valenti, hand over the green."

"I don't think you really won fair and square," Kyle said, shaking his head negatively.

"How do you figure that?"

"Uh, your girlfriend didn't convince Julia and Edward on her own. You interfered and I'm pretty sure that violates the terms of the bet."

"Whatever, fork it over."

Kyle grumbled about it but he pulled his wallet out and pulled out a worn twenty, slowly easing it out as if it caused him great pain to do so.

Maria stopped midstride as the guys' actions and words suddenly clicked. "What? You two made a bet?" She reached out and intercepted the money just before Michael's fingers could close around it.

His shocked expression was comical. "Wait, what? No! It was Kyle's idea! Hey, me an' Max, we knew better than to bet against you. And, hey, for a minute there it looked like Edward was gonna win, so I had to step in."

"You _had_ to step in," Maria repeated slowly as she turned to look up at him, making him stop in his tracks. "Because you didn't think I could close the deal?"

"Uh…" His eyes traced over her features, his gaze zeroing in on those lips that were just begging to be kissed as he shifted. He snapped out of his fog when she poked an insistent finger in the center of his chest.

"Half of this is mine, Spaceboy."

He turned to glare at Kyle when he started laughing. "You heard her, Valenti." He motioned to the twenty-dollar bill she was holding. "Pony up a couple of tens."

Kyle just shook his head. "Why? We all know she'll end up holdin' it anyway." He just smirked and hurried to catch up to Isabel when she snapped her fingers and called for them to hurry up. "Daylight's burnin', people, and the Christmas Nazi's ready to get this thing started."

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The ride to the dealership didn't really take that long but for Kyle, squeezed in between Michael and Maria in the front seat, it seemed to be ridiculously long. The two of them were obviously getting back on track if their sparring match over her driving ability was anything to go by. There was no heat behind their exchange though. _Well,_ he amended, _not the kind that sparked off an argument between them anyway._ He refused to speculate any further on that other kind. He did not need to store up those kinds of mentally damaging thoughts about them.

Michael had taken it upon himself to assign seating in the car, which was how he'd managed to end up sandwiched between the two of them. Liz had gotten the middle seat behind him, leaving Max and Isabel with the window seats. Just in case there was a sudden and unexpected attack in the middle of their winter wonderland. He tried to catch the laughter before it could escape and it came out as a snort instead.

"Somethin' wrong with you, Valenti?" Michael asked, shooting a sideways look at him.

"Nope, not a thing." He folded his arms over his chest and stared straight ahead until Michael finally gave up trying to figure out what he was thinking. His mind wandered back to the few minutes before he had walked into the cabin. He had overheard the girls talking and they had sounded so serious he had waited before barging in. He wondered how Maria could have come to the conclusion that anyone, much less Michael, viewed her as the weak link. It just wasn't possible, but maybe he could see it because he was looking at things from a completely different viewpoint.

Shifting mental gears he went back to his thoughts about the FBI tracking them down in Michigan. It didn't seem likely and even though he might have the occasional laugh at El Capitan's expense he didn't take their situation lightly. The FBI had surprised them before so he knew it was possible that it could happen and being prepared was the wisest thing to do to keep them all safe. He knew obtaining reliable transportation was a priority and he hoped they would be able to figure something out soon.

They hadn't anticipated nearly getting caught in Oregon, thinking after a month without incident they had possibly shaken their pursuers. There had been no warning that anything was about to happen and to this day he didn't know what had given them away. It was one of the rare nights that they had stayed in a hotel, the oppressive rain that had been pouring for days preventing them from stopping at a campground. Maybe it had been because they had spent a couple of nights in a row at different hotels. Maybe the shop where they had purchased a tire after having a flat had thought they were suspicious. Maybe changing the oil at a rest stop had raised a red flag for someone. He didn't know and it really didn't matter now. They had managed to escape in one piece but it had really put them all on edge for quite a while.

"I think we should have some music," Isabel spoke up from the backseat.

Max looked at his sister and shook his head sharply at her suggestion. Music was one thing they never agreed on as a group and it had been the fodder for numerous arguments. They had finally agreed that whomever was driving got to choose the music and the rest of them just had to suffer. If Maria was driving it would be something annoying like whatever bubblegum pop station she could find, with Michael it was hard rock, Kyle had gone to the other side and he would tune in to classical… even country at times, but he had a feeling that was just to aggravate if he was in the right mood. He and Liz had similar taste in music, but the others gave them crap over it, insisting it was depressing. If anyone wanted to point out depressing music, they should point out Isabel's preference since it leaned toward angst-ridden alternative selections. Not that there was any arguing with her when it was her turn to drive because Kyle always took the shotgun position, grabbed whatever book he was reading at the time, and settled in for the next couple hundred miles of agony. He was no support whatsoever. He supported Isabel though so there was only so much fault Max could put on his shoulders. He glanced at his wife. At least where his sister was concerned.

Maria was only too happy to switch the radio on, scanning the dials and landing on a station playing Christmas music. As the current song ended the DJ started a new one, choosing the traditional carol, Oh Come All Ye Faithful. She hummed along for the first few seconds before she started to sing along, her voice ringing out clearly.

"Maybe we should find somethin' we can all…" Kyle turned his head to look at Michael when he received a sharp jab to the ribs with an elbow.

"Shut up an' let her sing."

He nearly elbowed Michael in the jaw when he brought his hand up to snap off a sharp salute. "Si, El Capitan!" He didn't comment when his hybrid buddy stretched his arm out along the seat behind him, one hand resting on Maria's shoulder. Kyle kept his gaze averted when she reached up to cover the big paw and glanced at Michael with a smile that belonged to him and him alone.

The backseat of the car emptied out in record time as Maria put the gearshift into park. She leaned forward and smiled at Michael. "Think it was my singing?"

"Doubtful," he answered with a smirk.

Kyle rolled his eyes. He was happy the two of them seemed to be settling back into their relationship in a very Michael and Maria way, but being trapped between all of their intensity could be overwhelming. "So I vote we get outta the car. I'm enjoying the group hug an' all, but oxygen would be nice too."

Maria released her hold on Michael's hand to smack it against Kyle's chest. "Let's go find out what Dean and his friend have to say," she said as she released her seatbelt and pushed the door open.

They joined the others and the girls exchanged a look at the offensive noise as Godsmack's Awake reverberated off the walls inside the garage.

Maria made a face and covered her ears as Kyle grabbed the door and held it open so the girls could preceded them inside. The music, a generous description as far as she was concerned, was cranked up so high she could feel it vibrating through the floor. She frowned at the windows that were shaking from the sheer force of the obnoxious music. "What is that God-awful noise?" she yelled to be heard.

"Who's this?" Michael muttered to himself, his gaze zeroing in on the man wandering around their van. He was medium height, lanky, olive-toned skin, dark eyes, collar length hair and a goatee. He watched Dean as he appeared next to the other man, pointing something out at the front of the van.

Max caught the suspiciousness etched in Michael's features and he kicked him as subtly as possible, shaking his head once he had his attention. He had been watching the stranger too, but where Michael looked for a potential threat, Max looked for other nuances in the man's behavior and mannerisms. He appeared reserved, maybe shy, but he had an easygoing smile that lit his whole face up as he gestured wildly at the van.

In the span of the few seconds it took for Michael to determine what Max wanted Maria slipped away from him and he rolled his eyes when he saw where she was headed. _Nostalgia alert,_ he thought as he quickly caught up to her and reached out to stop her progress. Her voice carried clearly and loudly as the music was suddenly cut.

"Michael, look, it's a – "

"Jetta, yeah, I know." He rolled his eyes when she suddenly turned and wrapped her arms around him. He shifted their position so he could check the others, catching Max's eye and nodding at Dean and the man he could only assume was Shane. He wrapped his arms around Maria as she looked up at the green Jetta once more before tipping her head back to look up at him and smile. He caught the sheen of unshed tears in her eyes, making them a deeper shade of green, and he lifted his hand to cup her cheek, stroking his thumb against her skin gently. She smiled at him and closed her eyes when he pressed his lips to her forehead, a gesture that came as naturally to him as breathing.


	34. Chapter 34

**Part 34**

Dean was pointing to a small crack in one corner of the windshield but Shane completely disregarded it as he went on about the paint job. It wasn't like anything he'd ever seen and he hadn't shut up about it since he'd switched from the topic of what a great find the old bus was no matter its condition. For half an hour he had been ogling the vehicle, practically drooling over it and trying to come up with a way to make it his. All their lives his buddy had harbored champagne tastes and caviar dreams, but realistically lived in the realm of beer and pretzels. He had a collection of these old buses, all of them in various states of disrepair that he lovingly restored at a pace that worked for him and his wallet.

His attention was drawn away from the bus when he caught movement from the corner of his eye and his mouth dropped open when he saw three girls in the shop. Shane turned to follow his friend's gaping stare and his own gaze bounced from one girl to the next in surprise. Dean moved to turn the music off before leading the way over to the people cluttering up his shop. He had been expecting Kyle and his friends, but the guy hadn't said anything about bringing along three pretty girls. His hands were clean but he wiped them on a shop towel out of habit as he greeted them, shaking Kyle's hand as they exchanged introductions.

"So, you folks own this beauty?" Shane asked, his eyes once more turning back to the bus.

"Haven't yet met a girl that's kept his attention when one of these things was in the same vicinity," Dean said with a chuckle.

"You managed to get your computer back online?" Max asked, his tone low-key and expressing nothing more than curiosity.

"Nope, 'fraid not. It's Christmastime so everyone's either gone or up to their eyeballs in work." He shrugged one shoulder. "Heck, not much of a point in entering a work order until we know if we're gonna do any work on it." He reached up to scratch the back of his head. "I made some calls, but the cheapest engine I could find's gonna run you about three and a half grand plus shipping and labor.

"You got any idea what you're gonna do with the bus since the engine's shot?" Shane asked, trying not to sound too eager and failing miserably.

Kyle sensed a potential deal in the works but before he had the opportunity to speak up, Maria took front and center. He was left standing with Max and Michael when Liz and Isabel moved to flank her and he rolled his eyes when they flashed their dazzling smiles at the other two men. _Oh, Buddha help us,_ he thought.

"Well, we've been talking about that," Maria said, leveling that smile at Shane. "Right now our only option looks like investing in a new engine." Her gaze darted to the van and back to Shane. "That is unless we can find another vehicle. We've discussed that too." She looked at the other two girls.

"We have talked about it," Liz agreed.

Isabel nodded and glanced around the shop. "Yeah, but it doesn't look like you have anything here – "

"Oh, wait!" Shane hurried to speak up. "Wait, did you happen to notice that Ford Windstar parked out front?"

"Uh, I thought you said you didn't have the title for that thing?" Dean spoke up.

_No title?_ Kyle, Michael, and Max exchanged a look.

"Right," Shane said, one corner of his mouth pulling down in a frown. "That's right." He grinned sheepishly. "Guess I kinda forgot about that."

"What, uh, what kinda condition's that puppy in?" Kyle asked, earning a look from all three girls.

Maria waved at the guys, an insistent motion that demanded silence. "Is it reliable?"

"It belonged to my aunt," he started.

"Bet she only drove it to church on Sundays and never over 30 mph," Max muttered under his breath.

Maria shot a warning glare at him when his voice carried enough for her to hear him. "Anyway, about your van," she said, turning her sweetest smile on Shane again. "You were saying…?"

Shane smiled back at her. "Well, she's got a little over a hundred thousand miles on her, got some cosmetic issues, and could probably do with a bit of work, but I use 'er pretty regularly." His eyes drifted back to the bus and he gnawed on one side of his bottom lip as the wheels in his mind started turning.

"You know, my mom would be so happy to know her van had been retired to a good home." She walked over to the van, running her fingertips over the edge of the open window. She pinched her lips between her teeth for a moment. "She's had this thing so long and there's just no way of knowing where the title is. Probably gone for good by now…"

Max could feel Michael tensing up next to him and he glanced at him, seeing a familiar look on his face. It was toned down, but it was the expression he'd worn last New Year's Eve as he'd watched Maria flirting with Dave Lambert in an attempt to glean information about the next clue to Enigma. He had been ready to inflict some damage when Lambert had copped a feel but he had respected the boundaries she had set limiting their relationship to that of friends, and he had taken off to deal with his feelings in another manner. "Hey, it's not the same thing."

"Doesn't mean I have to like it." His eyes followed every move she made, his agitation spiking when the man moved towards her. "He tries to cop a feel, he loses a hand."

Max placed a calming hand on Michael's shoulder when Shane's movements took him closer to the bus so he could run his right hand over the front of it lovingly.

"Sure would be a shame to have to retire this little beauty someplace that wasn't fit," Shane said, following her lead. "These old classics should definitely be with folks who appreciate them."

"You're so right." She paused a moment, her expression one of deep thought, and suddenly she looked up at him with wide eyes. "Do you think we could just make a trade? I mean, we don't have a title, you don't have a title…"

Kyle's left forearm was resting against his chest, his right elbow braced on the wrist as he watched the girls work the room. He covered the lower half of his face as he waited for the man to answer.

"I'd be okay with that," Shane agreed before anyone could speak up and interrupt the conversation. "I mean, your bus is worth more than my van, even with the engine outta commission."

"Hmm…"

"Maybe if there're any smaller repairs to get it roadworthy, they could be included in the trade," Isabel suggested. "Kyle's a mechanic and I'm sure he could do any work it needed if he could use the shop."

"Thanks, honey," he muttered as he dropped his hand. "Maybe I could take a look at the van before we make a deal. Throw it up on the rack and check the steering, tranny, and the exhaust system, give the belts and hoses a check? If everything looks okay, we can shake on it… How's that?"

Shane looked at his friend. "C'mon, Dean, whaddaya say?"

"You still don't have a title," Dean reminded him.

"And technically it wouldn't be a sale."

"Interesting way of lookin' at it," Dean said and shrugged with a smile. "Sure, I'm not busy this mornin'." He waved at the door. "Go get that hunk of junk started and I'll open up the bay door for you."

Shane paused long enough to shoot a quick look at Dean before he glanced at the others. "He's got a really, really bad sense of humor. It's a perfectly good vehicle."

"You girls wanna wait in the office?" Dean asked as he walked over to the bay doors a couple of minutes later. "It gets cold in here quick once these doors go up and you probably don't wanna wait around out here while your men take a look under the hood."

"That would be wonderful," Liz agreed enthusiastically when Max nudged her and gave the slightest nod of his head. As soon as the mechanic gave them directions to the office and told them to help themselves to the coffee he turned his attention to the padlock on the door. "Why do you want us in the office?"

"Get rid of the paperwork on the van. He had everything on the desk last time we were here, and based on the filing system he seems to favor, it's probably still there."

"This won't take long will it?" Isabel asked, glancing between the three guys.

"It'll take as long as it takes, sugar muffin," Kyle said with a devilish grin.

She was gritting her teeth as she turned to go to the office, just barely beating the blast of icy air that whipped through the opening as Dean raised the bay door. _Sugar muffin. He would pay for that one._

"Sugar muffin?" Max echoed, trying hard not to laugh because there was always the chance that his sister would hear him and there would be hell to pay for that.

"I'd hate to be you tonight," Michael muttered under his breath.

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Maria was turning away from the door when Isabel grabbed her arm and turned her back to face it. "Um… what're we doing?"

"Keep an eye out."

She rolled her eyes at the tall blonde. "I think you and Michael have been spending too much time together."

Isabel stuck her tongue out at her. "At least in here you can't put the car in reverse."

Maria snorted at the memory of the day they had tailed the suit that had led them to exposing Topolsky. "What're we doing?" she asked when the other two girls started sifting through the messy stacks of paperwork on the desk.

"We're getting rid of the paperwork for the van," Liz said, glancing at Isabel when she sat down at the computer and started messing with it. "I don't know what Max did to it but it looks pretty fried," she said when the screen remained blue. She reached for another stack of loose papers and picked through them, jumping up and down a couple of times and waving a paper in the air. "Oh, I've got it!" She turned the work order around and looked over it. "Now what?"

Isabel held one hand out expectantly. "Let me see it." She turned it over and frowned at it. "Is this all of it?"

Liz flipped through more papers before nodding. "Looks that way."

Isabel sat down in the worn leather chair behind the desk, leaning back and wincing at the high-pitched squeal it gave in protest at the movement. "That's nice," she muttered, shaking her head.

"What should we do with it? Alter it? Sneak it out of here?" Maria's mind was going over their options while she thought out loud. "Oooh, I know!"

"I don't even want to know what you're thinking," Isabel said when she caught the look in Maria's eyes. "Whatever it is, no." She held the work order by one corner and concentrated on it for a moment before it began to disintegrate into a fine dust.

"Oh," Liz said softly, "perfect."

"Awesome trick, you're gonna have to teach me how to do that one day," Maria decided with a smile. "You do know we could be stuck here for hours now that the guys get to take their toys out and play."

"Yeah, _sugar muffin_," Liz said and started to laugh, which only flipped the switch on Maria's humor and before long they were both laughing while Isabel sat there staring at them, fingernails drumming on the single clear spot on the worn surface of the desk.

"I'm guessing Kyle's in trouble for that little endearment," Maria speculated as she glanced at the man in question. He was going on about something, his arms stretched wide as he watched the van being raised up on the hydraulic lift.

"He'll be suitably punished," Isabel decided as she studied her nails. A devious smile lifted the corners of her lips as she began to hatch her plan to exact retribution.

"I'd hate to be on the receiving end of whatever you're coming up with," Liz mused as she watched her sister-in-law.

The tall blonde made a quiet huffing sound of agreement as her eyes moved to the window in the door. "Yes, you would." She shifted, ignoring the chair's protest, and craned her neck to look out into the shop where Kyle was busy doing whatever it was he did underneath cars. One perfect eyebrow arched when she saw him stretch to reach something and she shook her head. _Surely that lift thingy could be adjusted for shorter mechanics._ She rolled her eyes as she glanced at the man next to him, head tipped back as he stared at whatever Kyle was pointing at. There wasn't much difference in their height, so unless Dean kept a stepstool around the thing had to be adjustable.

"In a minute he's gonna start jumping to get at whatever he's trying to reach," Liz said with a laugh. She turned her head to look at her husband when he and Shane migrated back to the bus, wandering around it and happily avoiding anything that had to do with mechanics.

Maria was watching Michael as he moved around the van on the lift, his eyes constantly scanning over the shop, making sure he knew where everyone was at all times. She smiled when he paused momentarily to look at the Jetta, feeling her heart somersault in her chest when he turned his head to look at her and she saw the slight smile cross his face.

Before long though he was on the move again, reaching into the upright toolbox and picking up a ratchet with a socket attached to it. He started to turn the socket and she was glad she wasn't close enough to hear the sound it was making because it would drive her crazy. She knew waiting for Kyle's diagnosis was sure to be driving him insane. If this worked out it solved a big problem, but in the meantime, patience was not one of his better qualities.

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Michael's mind was active as he waited impatiently for their Buddhist to hopefully pull a rabbit out of his hat. The trade would solve multiple problems: it would provide them with hopefully reliable transportation, it would prevent him from having to steal from people who had been good to them, and it would give them a way out if it came to that. His mind shifted tracks, thinking about what he had told the others recently about splitting up. He looked over at the Jetta, remembering the way her eyes had filled with tears as she looked at it.

He sighed and wished he had something to occupy his hands. He knew she missed her mom, she missed home, and those were two things he may never be able to give her. Maybe he could give her a home, but it would never be the one she had given up to be with him. How could he insist on splitting up when he knew how much it would hurt her to give up another piece of what little stability existed in her life? She was smart, she would understand the necessity for such a decision, but would she eventually resent him for everything she had given up to be with him? He turned, knowing before he moved that she was watching him, and he gave her a small smile. It was too soon to obsess over that problem. They might have to split up, but it wasn't like they could just split up into three groups when they only had one vehicle. There were other things that had to happen first. And while they had talked, they hadn't exactly had _the_ talk, so things were better, but he still didn't know where they stood.

He started prowling again, passing the upright toolbox several times before he reached into the open top to retrieve a ratchet with a deep well socket attached to it. He turned the socket over and over, the ratcheting sound somehow soothing his nerves while Kyle did his best to stretch them to the point of breaking. He appreciated the guy's calm manner most of the time – not that he'd ever tell him that, but at times like this appreciation was not on his list. He glanced at the office door again, one eyebrow lifting when he noticed Isabel sitting in the chair behind the desk, about to fall out of it as she leaned to one side to look out into the shop.

_Crap, Isabel was expecting all of them to participate in her fun-fest of Christmas costume fittings when they were finished here._ He made another round of the shop. _How was he going to get out of that?_ His gaze landed on Kyle and he smirked. _Sugar muffin,_ he thought victoriously. _All I've gotta do is remind her of what dumbass called her and she'll forget all about me and that fat elf suit._ His satisfaction lasted for all of two seconds before reality crashed down on him. _Yeah, because she'll ever let anything make her forget about her Christmas insanity._

He muttered a curse under his breath and moved over to the van, resting one hand on the wheel well as he ducked down to look at Kyle. "So? What's the verdict?"

Kyle lowered the flashlight he held and glanced at Michael. He recognized the signs of agitation rising in his friend and he shrugged one shoulder. "Well, she cranked right up before we put 'er on the lift." He cleared his throat and hurried to continue when he saw the impatience in the other man's features. He turned the light to the undercarriage again. "So far I haven't found any major problems. A thing or two that'll need fixin' but nothin'… Ah, wait a sec. Hey, Dean, would you hand me a shop rag?"

"Sure." Dean moved to snatch up one of the blue cloths and handed it over, peering up to see what Kyle had noticed.

Michael was watching them and his anxiety was spiking with every passing second that Kyle spent trying to reach up under the oil pan. He finally just reached out and took the rag from him. "Where d'you want me to put it?" he barked.

Kyle's eyes danced with laughter as he dropped his weight on his heels and looked at Michael. "Is that really the way you wanna phrase that question?"

"Valenti," he growled, "tell me or I'll just use my imagination."

He grinned and directed Michael, taking the rag back from him after he wiped just under the oil pan. The blue cloth was smeared with black oily smudges. "That could be a problem."

Dean laughed. "Shane gave 'er an oil change last month. He got to talkin' about this girl he met next town over." He rolled his eyes. "She told him she had a thing for these classics too. Anyway, he got to goin' on about her and forgot to tighten the screw under the pan. Next thing you know oil's all over the floor and all over Shane," he laughed.

"Hope things worked out with the girl."

"Nah, he found out she was just pretending to like VW buses so she'd have an opening…" he glanced over his shoulder at Shane, shaking his head fondly at the way his friend was pawing the van. "Just one of many short-lived relationships in my buddy's life."

The guys turned to follow his gaze, watching Max as he and Shane moved around the bus. Max did a good job of looking interested even though he had no interest whatsoever in whatever the other man was going on about. Michael shifted to meet Kyle's gaze and he lifted an eyebrow. "Verdict," he insisted.

Kyle rolled his shoulders and gave the undercarriage one more look. "Well, the good news is she started right up, like I said. I'll need to take a better look at the steering brackets since I'm seeing what might be a crack. The rear axle's a miracle," he said as he moved forward a few feet and shined the flashlight up at the axle in question. "Rusted halfway through. Tires are in good shape, so that's a good thing. Put a little work in it to keep 'er operational for the short term and she's a steal."

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"How's it going out there?" Liz asked. She was sitting in a chair in front of the desk, the leather old, cracked, and pinching her right thigh no matter how she rearranged her position.

Maria pulled her attention from the guys to look at Liz. She was leaning forward, one elbow braced on the desk, chin in hand as she scratched something out on a piece of paper. "I have no idea what they're doing now." She shifted to the side, trying to see what Liz was doing. "Are you writing something?"

"No," she mused absent-mindedly, "just trying to figure out if it's possible to go first at tic tac toe and lose."

Isabel rolled her eyes. "It's not." She froze and looked up from the list she was writing in an effort to ease her boredom. "Common sense says if you go first you pick a corner… if you pick the center it's impossible to lose." Kyle had proven that over and over one night at one of the campgrounds they had stayed at when neither of them wanted to sleep. Not that she was going to admit that to anyone. She cleared her throat when they exchanged a look before leveling their disbelieving expressions on her. "Anyway, we should get out there and move things along. It can't possibly take this long to check out the…" her eyes moved to the window, "whatever it is he's checking out. We have things to do this afternoon."

"Um, Isabel," Liz said as she started drawing lines to connect the tic tac toe frame, "about what we're doing this afternoon…"

"Are you trying to back out?" she asked with narrowed eyes.

"No, no, of course not. I was just wondering what exactly you have in mind for Max. He's a little concerned that you really had tights in mind."

Maria actually snorted at that, trying very hard not to picture it so she wouldn't laugh at him next time they came face to face.

"What do elves wear, Liz?" Isabel drummed her fingers on the desktop as she studied her sister-in-law.

"His opinion is that a reindeer wrangler isn't _actually_ an elf."

"His opinion would be grossly incorrect," she interrupted. "Santa only employs elves; everyone knows this, and that includes my brother. He's not getting out of this."

"He doesn't know anything about reindeer and he was telling me he thinks you're planning on finding a way to bring a whole herd in for him to babysit." Liz shook her head slowly as she watched Isabel. "You're not, right?"

"Well, that would be ridiculous, wouldn't it? Santa only had the eight plus Rudolph. Well," she corrected herself, "okay, he obviously had more, but during Christmas we only saw the main cast, so that's all Max will have to worry about. If you're concerned about it I'm sure I can find a way to work it so you're helping him. Oh, I know!" she said, eyes widening along with her smile. "You could have matching costumes! How great would that be?"

"Um… no, I think I'll be fine without that." _Sorry, Max. I love you, but you're on your own with the reindeer._ She pointed at the door when she realized Isabel was actually considering this new potential development. "Didn't you say we needed to get out there? We should probably do that… now."

Maria tried very hard not to laugh but when Liz nearly tore the door off of its hinges to get out of the office she lost it, doubling over as she laughed hard enough to make her eyes water.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Max looked up when Liz hurried across the shop and he knew as soon as he caught a glimpse of his sister and Maria that Isabel was up to something. He looked down at his wife and quirked an eyebrow in question.

"Nothing," she assured him. "Matter of fact, don't even ask her about it. If we leave it alone she might forget about it."

"So, what's the deal?" Isabel asked, sending an ultra sweet smile at Liz and Max before turning her attention to the van that was being lowered to the ground. She winced when the tires touched the floor and the vehicle shifted as it settled into place, the frame giving a creaking groan. She looked at Kyle. "That's something you can fix, right?"

"Your faith in my abilities humbles me." He gave her a smile and held one finger up. "Check this out." He leaned inside the open window of the drivers' side door, reaching in to poke the little hula dancer stuck to the dashboard. "Huh?" He poked it again, making it dance in place. "Whatcha think about that? Convinced Shane to throw it in as part of the deal."

She tried to control her features to prevent her disgust from expressing itself so openly. _That would have to go at the first available opportunity._ "Oh. How… special." Her tone said it was anything but.

"So," Shane said as he joined them, "do we have a deal?" He patted the van and grinned. "We can make the switch right now…" he added to sweeten the pot. He glanced at Dean. "Um, you can gimme a ride back to the house, right?"

Dean laughed and slapped him on the back. "Hey, if you can unload this thing I'll make sure you get home."

"Well?" Maria asked, her gaze bouncing between Michael and Kyle.

Kyle nodded. "I say we go for it. It solves our transportation problem for the moment and Dean said I could use the shop to work on some of the repairs to get it ready for distance traveling."

"Sounds like we have a deal," Maria said with a smile.

Shane stepped forward and was reaching for Maria's hand when Michael moved and intercepted the handshake. He grinned as he met the man's gaze, recognizing the territorial gleam in his eyes and nodding in acknowledgement.

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An hour later, after sorting things out and making sure they had everything out of the bus, Max made one more walk around it before joining the others where they had gathered around the van that had been moved outside. Michael was barking out the seating assignments and he knew it was because Shane had been talking Maria's ear off since she was the one who had made it possible for him to obtain the VW bus.

As they left the dealership in the rearview mirror Michael's thumb was smacking the steering wheel in a rhythm that indicated he was annoyed. He had insisted he and Maria would take their procured vehicle and give it a test run on the open road, instructing Kyle to drive Julia's car so that Max and Isabel would be free to protect them if anything happened. No one had bothered to argue with him, letting him have his say and climbing into their respective vehicles.

"What do you think Max will look like in green tights?" Maria mused aloud in an effort to calm him down.

He shook his head. "He'll escape elf hell because now that we've got a working vehicle we can get outta here."

"No, Michael, we can't just up and leave."

He didn't look at her. "Why not?"

"Um… Maggie?" She was met with silence and after a couple of minutes she had to resist the urge to ball up her fists. "Oooh, you're so stubborn! Fine, I don't know, how about 'cause you told that little girl that you knew Santa. Or maybe because she gave you that little picture of the dog she wants for Christmas. Or maybe because Kyle's got a place to work on the van and he'll have the necessary equipment to do it. That's not something we have access to on a regular basis." She rolled her eyes and shook her head before looking over at him, taking in the steady gaze that was locked on the road ahead of them. It took a moment, but she suddenly realized that he was doing his best to start an argument just to irritate her. But why? _Last Christmas,_ she realized. It had been especially painful for him. _The ghost of Christmas Past rears its ugly head once again. _She squeezed her eyes shut at the memory and took a deep breath. "Michael, it'd crush Maggie if Santa didn't show up. Besides, if you think Edward's protective of his family now, I wouldn't wanna be around when he finds out we just up and left."

His hand tightened on the steering wheel, torn between running and putting as much distance between them and the people hunting them, and staying and making Christmas special not only for Maggie, but for Maria as well. But in the end that's what it all came down to, wasn't it? He shot a sideways glance at her and saw her features sober as she accepted that she may not be able to change his mind. While his concern for their safety was always at the forefront of his mind, a large part of it was he just didn't want to deal with Christmas and the memories it would bring up. He sighed quietly and reached over to take her hand, feeling her relax as she linked her fingers through his.


	35. Chapter 35

**Author's Note: **Believe it or not, a few lines were borrowed from the movie Robin Hood: Men in Tights.

**Part 35**

Kyle stared at the strands of Christmas lights stretched out in front of him. He had been sitting on a bale of hay over at Mr. Tony's barn untangling light strands for the past hour and a half. He and the others had gotten back and after helping Edward and the boys haul a bunch of stuff over to Mr. Tony's place Julia had insisted they sit down to lunch before getting started on the days' activities.

Maggie was running through the barn with Dayna's granddaughter Michelle, having a good time and not really being much help. Well, he thought with a quiet grin, they helped with El Capitan. Isabel was holding court across the barn, going over the day planner with Julia and Dayna. Liz and Maria were sorting through the boxes of Christmas decorations that Max was quietly hauling down in the hope that his sister would forget about his existence when the costumes came out. Edward and the boys were outside, stringing lights on the house and he looked up when Eddie came in and leaned over his shoulder.

"Got that next strand ready, Kyle?" he asked breathlessly.

"Yeah," he turned from the waist up, "take those two strands on the right and then you guys might need to take a hot chocolate break while I get to the next set."

"Cool, thanks!" Eddie carefully looped the strands around his elbow and shoulder before carrying them outside.

He plugged the next strand into the extension cord that ran across the floor and he frowned when it lit up only to flicker after a moment. He sighed and started the tedious work of locating the loose bulb. He jiggled each one, watching the lights from the corner of his eye as he lifted his head to find Michael.

The tall hybrid was carrying another box over to set it up on the makeshift tables, plywood sheets laying across sawhorses, for the girls to sort through. He didn't look too happy about being there and he had a feeling the guy was dreading hearing his name when Isabel started the costume roll call. It didn't take a genius to know Michael did not want to reprise his role as Santa Claus. He watched as Maggie and Michelle chased each other until they were breathless and they collapsed on a bale of straw against the wall to converse and giggle quietly.

His attention was pulled away when the lights flickered and held for a moment before blinking out once more. _Aaargh! What was up with these lights? Every single strand was acting up!_ He sighed and went back to wiggling each individual light, searching for the loose bulb. He looked up when the dynamo duo got up to race across the barn, heading right for Michael.

Maria caught Michael's hand when he dropped a box on the table and started to back away. He had been determined on the ride back that they were going to leave soon, but he hadn't said a word about it when they had arrived back at the house. All through hauling stuff over to the house and then lunch she had left the subject alone, hoping he had changed his mind. "You're gonna be a good Santa, you know."

He shook his head and looked down at their joined hands. "Let Kyle play the part of the fat elf," he muttered. "I turned in my Santa badge last year, not interested in renewing it."

"C'mon, Michael," she whispered, "a good Santa's a sexy Santa." She shot a glance over her shoulder at Kyle. "I love Kyle, but… he can't be Santa. I can't play Snowflake to his Santa. It's just… so wrong."

"No, you can't," he agreed. "That's just one more reason why this whole thing is wrong and doesn't need to happen."

Maggie ran up to Michael and grabbed his other hand. "Hey, Michael. Michael, I want you to meet my best friend." She looked back at Michelle. "This's Michael and Maria." She lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "He knows Santa."

Michelle's mouth dropped open as she looked between Michael and Maria. Her brown eyes shone brightly, her pretty face framed by the soft light blue fur of her hood. "Really?" she whispered.

"Uh-huh, he knows lots about Santa."

Maria smiled at the look of awe on the little girls' faces as they watched Michael. She gave his hand a light squeeze when she saw the discomfort in his expression. She crouched down so that she was on their level and she brought her second hand up to cover the one she held, rubbing over his knuckles. "He really does," she whispered with a smile.

Julia looked around, locating the girls after just a moment. "Maggie, Michelle, will you two help me with the cookies in Mrs. Tony's kitchen?"

"Bye, Michael," Maggie said with a big grin. "We'll make you some special cookies and you can have them while they're still hot." She turned and grabbed Michelle's hand and the two of them ran out of the barn, heading up to the house.

Michael's gaze followed them until they were out of sight and he sighed as he lowered his head in defeat when Maria stood and looked up at him. "You know you owe me for this."

"Um-hmm," she murmured as she wrapped her arms around him. "Peach Snapple and a foot rub?"

"For starters," he growled as his arms came around her.

Max dropped a box on the table, nearly upsetting the plywood before Michael lunged to press down on the opposite end. He shoved the box closer to the center and leaned back to stretch. "I think my back's broken," he groaned.

"Here they are," Dayna exclaimed as she tugged the box lid back and reached inside to lift out a handful of brightly colored material.

"Your back seems to be much better," Kyle observed as El Presidente tensed up, his back ramrod straight.

Max shot a look at him, but didn't dare say a word. His eyes followed his sister as she hurried to join Dayna to gush over the horrible costumes being pulled out one by one. _And they were still on the girls' costumes,_ he thought as he eyed the first one skeptically. She handed it to Maria with a smile.

"Don't worry, dear, we can take in any material that doesn't fit," she assured her.

Michael made a face and he shook his head as the woman shook the outfit and held it up. _It was obviously for a tall woman with big… um, yeah… what was the word? The politically correct word that would save him from a verbal flaying. Well-endowed, that was it._ He rolled his eyes when the next one was taken out and held up. _Okay, that one was for someone shorter than Liz._ She handed that one over to the brunette and insisted that they would make it work.

When she shook out the next item Max lost some color and he could hear Kyle nearly choking behind him. Green thermal tights with a little pointed hat. _Um-hmm, those were great._ Okay, if that was the alternative, he'd take Santa's stupid red and white suit without too much complaint. He wouldn't be caught dead in something like that.

Dayna held the tights up in front of Max and shook her head. "Well, they are a bit long, but don't you worry, we'll fix them up in no time."

Kyle was feeling really good about being the assistant to the Christmas Nazi and her associate as he watched the others fidget. "Evans, I like that hat." He reached up to point to his own ears. "It's gonna really take the focus off of the other points on your head."

"Sugar muffin, how're those lights coming along?" Isabel asked as she moved over to lift up the end of the strand he was working on.

He grinned triumphantly as he held up the cheerfully blinking strand.

"Honey… are you sure?" She jiggled it and frowned in confusion when the lights flickered out again.

"Michael, I'm afraid your suit will be here a little later," Dayna said. "Isabel told me you were looking forward to being Santa and I'm sure it'll fit you just fine."

He forced a smile that came out looking more like a grimace. "Well, I think I'll go see what's happening outside." He was sure Edward and the boys must need some help and at this point he didn't care if it meant hanging from the rafters to hang lights.

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Brian fed the strands of lights up to his dad and Michael, keeping the wires from getting tangled up while they hung them. They had been working for a while now, the silence thick and only occasionally broken whey Eddie would run out with more lights for them to hang. He was bored with his assigned job, but he knew he wasn't getting out of it until the lights were all hung. He shifted, his boots landing on a patch of untouched snow and it made a loud crunching sound. He picked his foot up and put it down a couple of times, listening to the noise as the snow crunched underfoot.

"Brian," Edward growled when the annoying sound continued.

The teenager sighed and looked up at Michael. "So, Michael… you play hockey where you're from?"

Michael glanced down at him, one hand wrapped around the top rung of the ladder and the other holding onto the ledge he was attaching the lights to. "I wish. Not much opportunity to get on the ice in Miami."

"We have a shootout competition for charity here every year." He loosened his grip on one of the coils of lights when Dad tugged on it. "I bet Dad or Big Dave could come up with a pair of skates and a stick for you to practice."

"Dinner's ready!" Maggie and Michelle shouted at the same time as they made their way to join the guys. "Michael, Mama said to come and eat and to not hang anymore lights before dinner."

Edward paused to look down at his little girl. "Mama didn't have a message for me?"

She twisted back and forth, her boots cutting a half-moon trench in the snow. She smiled up at him. "Nope, Mama said soon as the lid came off the chili you wouldn't need to be told twice."

He snorted at that and finished putting the end of his strand up before he climbed back down the ladder. Eddie ran outside just as his feet hit the ground and he motioned back to the doors. "Go round everyone up, tell 'em supper's on the table."

"Did Mom make chili like she said she was gonna?" the boy asked eagerly.

"I can get 'em, Edward," Michael offered as he stretched one arm out to secure the end of the strand to the ledge. He slapped Eddie on the back as his feet landed on the ground. "Just leave some for the rest of us."

"No problem, Michael," Eddie said with a grin.

Edward didn't comment outside of a nod. "Let's head up to the house, kids." They had come back to the house earlier with a vehicle he recognized but they had provided very little in the way of an explanation. He looked at Michael. "We'll see you in a few minutes."

Michael nodded and watched as Maggie took Edward's hand, looking up at him and chattering up a storm as they walked up to the house. Michelle was keeping pace beside her friend, adding her input when it was needed. The boys darted around their dad and the girls, heading straight for the house and the hot food waiting inside. He stepped into the barn and glanced around at the activity going on around him.

Maria and Liz were at the makeshift tables, organizing the ornaments by size, shape and color and Kyle was still relegated to light duty. He was surrounded by several piles of knotted light strands and he was fairly certain Isabel was responsible for that. Isabel was sorting through the decorations at another of the tables, barely paying any attention to her brother's impassioned speech.

"Isabel, you can't possibly expect me to parade around in a pair of puke green tights."

Maria rolled her eyes as she glanced at Liz. "You know he's not gonna win."

"He knows it too," Liz admitted, "but he has to put up a token resistance."

Isabel sighed loudly as she carefully put down an ornament and turned to look at her brother. "I'm sure we can do something about the color," she said with a smile. She reached behind him and grabbed something, settling the little pointed hat on his head. She stood back for a moment, tilting her head to one side as she studied it. "Hmm…" She reached up to adjust it, moving it to one side so that it sat at a jaunty angle. "There, that's better." She smiled and patted his arm. "I think you'll be a perfect reindeer wrangler."

Michael smirked at the dumbfounded look on Max's face. A lifetime together and he still hadn't learned that there was no winning in an argument with Isabel. If she wanted to dress him up in green tights and a pointy hat, she'd get her way. Just like she had when they had been kids and she'd imposed her sense of fashion on him.

"Hey, it's time for dinner." He looked over at his good buddy and motioned to his little elf hat. "Maybe you could leave that here. This's already gonna give me nightmares."

"That's true," Kyle added without looking up from the knotted strand he was trying to untangle. "Kinda makes me think of that movie… ya know, Robin Hood: Men in Tights. Only, it's Max who's gonna be runnin' around in the green tights." He and Michael exchanged a look and he grinned at the nearly imperceptible nod.

"We're men, MANLY men, we're men in tights," Michael sang out unexpectedly.

Kyle chimed in with a high-pitched feminine voice, "Yes!"

And then they sang out the next line together. "We roam around the forest looking for fights."

"You guys are hilarious," Max muttered as he jerked the hat off and threw it on the table.

Michael laughed and high-fived Kyle when he held his hand up. "Good one." He nodded at the lights. "C'mon, you can finish those later."

"Dinner, huh?" He grabbed Michael's hand, wincing when his knees protested the sudden movement as he was helped to his feet. "Damn, I don't think I've moved my legs once in the past couple of hours. We don't have to walk over to the house do we?"

"Huh-uh, we're havin' dinner here at Mr. Tony's place. Maggie said we're havin' chili."

"Chilly's a good word… don'tcha think, Evans?"

"Okay, that's enough jokes at Max's expense," Liz spoke up with a sympathetic look at her husband. He really had no defense and she knew he wasn't going to get out of wearing the outfit for his position.

"Your costume is perfectly acceptable," Isabel said as she picked up the hat Max had thrown back down on the table. She folded it flat and smoothed her hand over it so that it wouldn't end up with wrinkles creased into the fabric.

"Uh-huh, like the girls' costumes or the Santa suit are all acceptable?" He crossed his arms over his chest as he stared at her. "If it's so great why don't we ever see you running around in one of these things?"

Kyle nearly choked on his tongue. Whether it was the image that leapt to mind or the shock over Evans actually daring to voice such a question, he wasn't sure. "So, you said dinner's ready, right? I think we should – "

Isabel's right hand shot up, an insistent motion that demanded they all remain where they stood. "Do you have the slightest idea what it takes to put something like this together?" she asked as she stared her brother down. "At what point did you learn to balance all the details that go into planning an event of this magnitude?"

"It's not exactly the Macy's Day Parade, Isabel," he countered. "Hang some lights, throw some trimmings up, stick a tree in a corner somewhere…"

She drew herself up to her full height and looked down her nose at him. "It also isn't Whoville, little brother. So take the tree out of your Grinchy ass and put a smile on your face because like it or not you're wearing the tights, the little hat, and you'll also wear a big Christmas-y smile while answering questions about reindeer."

"This's the part where you just smile and say, 'Yes, Mein Fuhrer'," Michael offered helpfully.

Isabel's head whipped around and she turned her laser eyes on him, daring him to say another word.

Kyle tried not to laugh and after nearly biting through his bottom lip to achieve a solemn expression he lost it when Michael let loose with a rare donkey laugh.

Maria turned to look at him, unable to stop her own laughter from escaping in response to Michael's laughter. It wasn't something he did very often and she couldn't remember the last time she had seen him laugh so openly. As they brought themselves under control he held his hand out to her and she linked her fingers through his, smiling when he tugged her close and tucked their joined hands in his coat pocket.

"Maybe you could stop encouraging the Christmas Nazi," Max growled to Kyle as they stepped outside. "You have any idea what you're doing by playing along with this madness?"

"Evans, Evans, Evans, I know exactly what I'm doin'," Kyle assured him. "You have Liz, Michael has Maria… and Isabel?" He turned in a circle, arms held wide. "She has me and the insanity of Christmas." He sobered as he met the other man's gaze. "Let her win this one, Evans. Just wear the stupid costume."

Max stared after him when he walked back to the barn to push the door closed as Isabel emerged behind the other couple. He had no idea what his sister and Kyle were talking about as they walked together. Actually, most of the time he had no clue what they talked about. He knew she and Kyle had grown close and he didn't know if they were heading toward a relationship or if they would simply maintain their friendship, but he did know whether it happened or not the two of them would always be there for each other.

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The front door opened as they stomped the snow off of their boots and Maggie dodged between them to get to Michael. She latched onto his hand and tugged on him, pulling him inside. "It's cold out here," she chastised, fussing over him as he shrugged out of his gear. "Mama said to make sure you come in and get somethin' warm to eat. And the chili's real good." She lowered her voice to a stage whisper. "Mama made the homemade bread too." She smiled widely. "I saved you the biggest piece and Michelle's watching it to make sure the boys don't eat it 'cause it's for you."

Maria smiled as she watched her Spaceboy being given the special treatment. He deserved every bit of the unconditional love Maggie lavished on him and she loved watching him with the little girl. She was good for Michael and in spite of his reservations about playing Santa for the community she knew he would do it because he wouldn't be the one to disappoint Maggie. He would make himself do it if for no other reason than to put a smile on the face of a certain five-year-old.

In the kitchen Maggie made sure Michael was given the largest piece of bread once he had served himself a bowl of the homemade chili. He was reaching for one of the drinks that had been lined up at the back of one of the counters when Maggie looked up at him. "Daddy bought S…" she frowned when a hand covered her mouth and she tipped her head back to look up at Eddie.

"You made a pinky swear, remember?" he reminded her as he leaned down to whisper in her ear. He smiled when her eyes grew large and she shook her head, silently telling him to let her go.

Michael watched her as she bit her bottom lip and looked over at her best friend. It was obvious that she wanted to tell Michelle all about it but she knew it was a secret and she was fighting to keep it to herself.

Kyle leaned back against the counter next to him, taking in his bloodshot eyes and his cheeks, reddened by the wind. "Man, you look about like I feel. All I've got to say is thank Buddha we're done for the night."

He smirked and shook his head as he turned to point at the sofas visible through the wide doorway that opened up into the large living room. There were large bags of air-popped popcorn along with bags of cranberries resting on the plaid cushions. "I wouldn't bet on that, sugar muffin."

Next to him Maggie and Michelle exchanged a look and started giggling.

Kyle groaned when he saw pinpricked fingertips in his near future. He watched Isabel as she wandered around the sofas, checking the popcorn and cranberries for who knew what. He pointed to the counter on Michael's left side. "Hand me a couple of bowls, would you?" After dishing up the chili and grabbing a couple pieces of bread he carried everything over to the table. "Hey, babe, dinner's on the table, come an' get it," he called. He chuckled at the look she shot him over her shoulder as he went back to the counter to grab a couple of drinks.

Isabel joined the others, taking the chair between Kyle and Dayna and before long she was immersed in the details for the next stage of preparations.

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After dinner the Stevens' boys were cleaning up the kitchen while Isabel was instructing everyone on the proper stringing order and ratio of popcorn to cranberries. Maggie and Michelle were standing in the doorway, watching and listening. They giggled when the tall blonde called Kyle over to begin the first strand of the homemade garland.

Michael was standing behind the two little girls, rolling his eyes as Isabel went over the importance of making sure the proper sequence of five popcorn and two cranberries was followed. Again. _Yeah, I'll take that stupid fat elf suit for a day,_ he decided.

Watching him, Maria knew exactly what was on his mind as they exchanged a look. She held a hand out to him and he answered her silent request by walking over to her and dropping his exhausted body down on the couch beside her.

Maggie and Michelle settled into one of the recliners with a large bowl of popcorn and a smaller bowl of cranberries. They watched Mama with interest as she leaned over them, placing thimbles on their forefingers.

"But, Mama, that's gonna make it hard to hold the stuff," Maggie complained.

"You don't want to use your fingers as pincushions do you?" Julia said in that tone that made it clear it wasn't really a question. She went back to her seat next to Dayna and she watched the girls as they giggled about something. She was enjoying the sparkle that had replaced the sadness in her little girl since being told there wouldn't be a Christmas on the Lake this year. Her heart swelled as she scanned the room full of Santa's 'elves' and she marveled at the form miracles could take in their lives. _Who would've guessed that six teenagers from Miami stranded on their doorstep would be that miracle?_

Maggie held up the needle, the fingers of her free hand sliding along the string until she reached the little knot at the end. She frowned when she tried to pick up one of the cranberries and it kept slipping past her thimbled fingertip.

"Those look all slippery. Want some help?" Michelle asked quietly. She reached into her own bowl and popped a piece of the fluffy popcorn in her mouth before plucking a cranberry out of the other bowl for her friend.

She wrinkled her nose as she looked up. "Mama, the thimble keeps getting in the way," she complained.

As the evening passed the atmosphere was light and pleasant, and filled with warmth and laughter. Edward was dozing in the matching recliner next to Maggie and Michelle, his bowl of popcorn tipped over to rest against the arm of the chair. He was slumped to one side, his elbow braced on the arm of the chair and his mouth slightly open as the side of his head rested against his fisted hand. Julia and Dayna were talking and keeping an eye on the girls, just enjoying the chance to relax and enjoy themselves.

Brian had challenged Max to a game of chess and since he had been looking for a way to escape his sister's clutches he had readily agreed. Liz was watching the game and contributing to the conversation on occasion. Her attention was pulled away when Isabel spoke up and suggested they sing Christmas carols while they worked.

"Oh, that's a good idea," Maria enthused. "We should put on some music."

Eddie offered to get up and put the music on, giving Maria a big smile as he gave up his seat next to her to go and search through the CDs on the shelf by the stereo.

"Wanna go show Michael our garland?" Maggie asked.

Michelle nodded and the two girls wiggled down out of the recliner, nodding when Julia saw them and reminded them to be careful with the needles.

Michael slouched down further into the cushions, letting his head rest against the back. "Not gonna happen," he muttered quietly. "I might wear that stupid suit, but I'm not singin' any songs."

"You were singing in the barn," Maria reminded him gently.

"That wasn't singing," he denied. "That was mocking Max, there's a difference."

Maggie and Michelle started to sing Jingle Bells as they hurried across the room. Julia was issuing another warning about the needles when Maggie ran into Michael's outstretched legs and as the thimble flew across the floor the needle went into her fingertip. She froze and looked down at her finger, her expression momentarily stunned.

Michael shot up to a sitting position and reached for the little girl, noting her expression. "You okay, Princess Maggie?"

She frowned down at her finger. "It's just a little ouch," she said, holding it out to him.

He accepted her hand, holding it in his palm and looking down at the little pinprick.

Maria smiled and patted Michael's shoulder. "I think I saw some band aids in the bathroom." She shifted to stand up be was stopped by his free arm.

"Fetch us a couple of Snapple's on your way back, Snowflake."

Maria looked into her Spaceboy's eyes. His stare was insistent, the set of his jaw line indicating that his words were a challenge. She inclined her head, narrowing her eyes slightly as she gave him a smile. "Snowflake, huh? My name is Maria," she said, dragging her name out. "And did you just say to fetch you some Snapple?"

Maggie sniffled at the stinging pinpoint at the tip of her finger and a moment later she glanced at Michelle and the two of them started giggling as they watched Maria teasing Michael.

Maria leaned in close to him to whisper, "I'll get Snowflake right on it." She kissed his cheek and got up to go and search for a band aid.

He mentally groaned when his gaze followed her and as she moved out of sight he saw Isabel smiling at him. He was gonna be stuck for the next week doing the Christmas Nazi's bidding. He turned his attention to Maggie, smiling at her as he patted the cushion next to him. She scrambled up to sit beside him and he reached out to tug on the edge of Michelle's coat. "You wanna take this off?"

Michelle shook her head shyly and Maggie filled Michael in on how her best friend never took her hood off unless she had a hat to wear when she was around new people. The little girl bit her bottom lip as she waited to see if he was going to make fun of her.

"That makes perfectly good sense," he said finally. "Tell ya what… you have a seat up here," he patted the cushion on his other side, "and I'm gonna grab your supplies so we can get to work on these things."

Michelle climbed up on the couch and turned her head to smile at Maggie when he went to collect the popcorn and cranberry bowls. "He _is_ nice," she whispered. "He's not scary at all."

"I told you," Maggie whispered back.

Maria leaned in the doorway, smiling as she watched Michael patiently stringing popcorn and cranberries with the two little girls. He was eating more popcorn than he was stringing but his admirers didn't seem to care, giggling each time he shoved another handful in his mouth. She could see that he was tired though that had nothing to do with him declining to join in when everyone started singing Christmas carols.

"We should call it a night here pretty soon," Kyle murmured to Isabel.

She looked around the room, taking in the activity and the tired features of their friends, old and new, and she nodded. "We're almost finished with the garland." She bumped his shoulder with hers. "Thanks for everything today."

He grinned at her. "Always. Just promise you won't have me up at the crack of dawn to get started on this again."

"Well…"

He laughed quietly. "Okay, but I'm gonna need a big breakfast first."

She rolled her eyes and snorted at that. "Is there any other kind? You know you eat like a horse."

He just shot another grin at her. "Don't feed me and I'll show you how I can sleep like a log."

She laughed and shoved his shoulder again. "We'll head back to the cabins in the next hour, how's that?"

"Sounds good."

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Michael yawned widely as he stood to stretch. After coming back to the cabin he had sat down to watch the news, waiting for the sports news and scanning for anything that might be relevant to their current situation. Other than the weatherman forecasting more snow there wasn't much newsworthy and as they wrapped up with a local story he turned the television off.

He took a drink from his Snapple as he walked over to the bed, sitting the half-empty bottle on the nightstand and emptying his pockets out. The sound of water sloshing against the sides of the bathtub caught his attention and he wandered over to the bathroom to lean against the doorframe. He hooked his thumbs in his pockets as his gaze traced over Maria's back, her skin wet and flushed from the heat.

He saw her cheek curve upward and knew she was smiling. She was enjoying a long soak in the tub, once again reading _The Fugitive._ "Hope you're takin' notes," he growled as he pushed away from the doorframe and moved further into the room. He turned and dropped down to sit on the floor next to the tub, his right arm resting on the edge as he met her gaze over the top of the book. He dropped his chin on his forearm as his fingertips dragged through the water.

She tipped the book back toward herself, tapping it against her chin as she watched him. "You know you were great with the girls, helping them with the garland."

He shrugged. "What else was I gonna do? I was surrounded by girls and let's not forget the Christmas Nazi. Isabel had her own plans and until she was satisfied that her precious little planner had all the proper checkmarks by tonight's schedule I wasn't gonna get any rest… or my foot rub." His lips smacked as he feigned a thoughtful expression. "Then there was the added bonus of eating all that popcorn." He smirked. "Would've been better with butter and some Tabasco sauce, but it was tolerable."

"Um-hmm, it's all about how much you could stuff in your mouth." Maria smiled and let her fingers trail over his arm. She was relaxed and squeaky clean and she could feel the rush of being so close to him, wanting him. Her eyebrows rose in surprise when he gave her a grin and stood up. "Wait, Michael, where're you going?"

"Well, the guy who knows Santa and all the most important elves has had a long day and he'll be waitin' in bed for that overdue foot rub." He leaned over and kissed her. "Snowflake has duties to perform." He was smirking as he left the bathroom.

Maria shifted when she heard him undressing followed by the sound of the bed sheets and blankets rustling as he got settled. She leaned over to toss the book on the small countertop and strained her ears, glancing around for Mickey before getting out of the tub and drying off. It felt good to be with Michael and have him acting so normal. He was beginning to relax and sure, it was good for all of them, but it was really good for him. He needed it so much and just seeing him like that meant everything to her.

She wrapped the towel around herself and walked out into the bedroom, smiling at the sight of him in bed. His arms were folded behind him, his hands interlocked and supporting his head as he watched her. He was stretched out, taking up his half of the bed and then some. He waved one foot at her with that know-it-all smirk on his face and she hid a smile when his heated gaze slid over her. _Um-hmm, two can play at that game, Spaceboy,_ she thought with a smirk of her own.

Her gaze swept over the nightstand when the firelight flickering behind her glinted off of his wallet chain. She tipped her head to one side as she leaned forward to pick up the tiny plastic piece lying amidst a pile of change, a few crumpled bills, and Maggie's picture. "Michael, isn't this one of the gingerbread playing pieces from the game you were playing this morning over at Kyle and Isabel's?" She turned to look at him. "Why do you still have it?"

He lifted his eyes to meet her curious gaze. "You're not getting outta the foot rub, Snowflake."

She put the playing piece down and crawled up on the bed, still wrapped in the damp towel. She gave him that smile that was reserved just for him as she leaned over to grab a bottle of lotion off of her nightstand.

"Maria, is that the one that smells like flowers or fruit or somethin'?" he said as he pulled his foot back out of reach.

"Does it matter? Unless anyone's planning to get down and smell your feet it won't matter. I'm pretty sure no one's gonna even think of trying to do that." She rolled her eyes and reached for his foot, wrapping her fingers around it and pulling it into her lap. She warmed the lotion between her hands and her thumb barely stroked over his instep.

His eyelids closed in anticipation of her touch.

Maria's eyes strayed back to the little gingerbread man, her expression thoughtful. _Why had he held on to it?_

His left eye lifted to check on her when her touch remained the same.

"Michael… tell me…"

"Hop to, Snowflake. Santa needs his foot rub."

She cradled his foot in one hand and started to rub the sole with long strokes with the other as she continued to contemplate the little piece of plastic. "Michael…"

His lips quirked in a quiet smile and he admitted something he would never admit to another living soul. "So I can win the Candy Castle of course."


	36. Chapter 36

**Author's Note: **A few lines in this part were borrowed from the Season One episode Toy House.

**Part 36**

Max was awake before dawn broke, his eyes staring unseeingly at the ceiling above. His mind was turning over the events of the night before, too active to allow him to sleep. He felt like he was trapped in his sister's insane Christmas village, dancing to whatever tune she chose to play. He wasn't interested in wrangling reindeer, he didn't want to answer questions from a bunch of curious children, and he really didn't want to wear that stupid costume she had come up with. He loved her but at the moment he could've happily choked her with her stupid cranberry and popcorn garland.

He wasn't a Grinch, despite popular belief. He just wasn't interested in having anything to do with Christmas or children. He didn't want to run the risk of repeating last Christmas. He had nearly ruined the holiday for Liz. He had been so wrapped up in trying to get through to Samuel in an effort to establish contact with his son. He was doing okay with Maggie and that probably had a lot to do with her adopting Michael and following him around faithfully. Being Santa's reindeer wrangler was going to put him in constant contact with children and he didn't want to do it.

He smiled faintly at the memory of holding his son, already several months old, for the first time. Zan was a good looking boy and he had a smile Max had recognized from pictures of himself when he was younger. Letting his son go had hurt more than anything he had ever experienced. He still wondered if things had been different and he'd been able to keep Zan with him if it would've cost him Liz. The thing with Tess had been rough enough to get past, but having to stare a living reminder in the face every day… could she have done that? Would she have wanted to?

Part of him was relieved that the decision had been taken out of his hands. _It wasn't taken out of your hands,_ his inner voice spoke up. Liz's voice followed soon after. _"Everything's a choice, Max. The options may not be that great but it's still a choice."_ She was right. He didn't like to think about it too much, but she was right. He had given Zan up to keep him safe because the other option was to be selfish and keep him and he couldn't rationalize that in his head. Not while his own existence was being threatened. He just didn't know what his choice would've been if keeping him wouldn't have put Zan's life in danger.

How could he have chosen between his son and the woman he loved? His mind locked on the memory of his son's smiling face and he swallowed hard, trying to force down the lump in his throat. He had felt like his heart was being ripped from his chest when he had let his son go and he reached up to unconsciously rub his chest as his vision blurred. He had barely had the chance to meet Zan before he'd had to give him up and that gaping hole in his chest still hurt. He shifted and brought his right arm up to rest his head on it, dropping his gaze to his left hand where it lay on his stomach.

He raised his hand slightly, his thumb turning his wedding band on his finger. His thoughts shifted as his thumb brushed over the nick in the band, a reminder of a hot day in August. More proof that six adults packed into an old van and living in such close quarters wasn't a good idea. His thumbnail caught on the nick and he picked at it as his memory took him back to that day. It had all started because of an argument over where they had stopped for the night. He winced and flexed his hand as he mentally pictured the scene. It was a phantom pain, induced by the memory; he had healed it himself so he knew there was no internal damage.

They had found an out of the way campground and paid for a site where the fewest campers were likely to be. When they had stopped originally they had planned to head back out after Kyle had finished working on the van. He had finally convinced Michael that he had to replace the pads and shoes before they did anymore damage to the rotors because the brakes had been squealing for more than a month and it was getting worse. He had been working on replacing the rear brake pads when Michael had crouched down beside him and demanded to know how much longer it would be before they could leave.

"_Look, we're already here," Kyle said as he shifted around so he could look up at Michael. "We've already paid for the site, let's just hang here for the night. We're in the middle of nowhere and I don't know about everyone else, but I could use a break from smelling everyone for a few hours."_

"_He's right, Michael," Maria had chimed in, getting up and brushing the dirt from the seat of her shorts. "We've been locked in heat wave hell for the past three days and I for one would like to not spend the night sweating and pressed up against anyone else."_

"_We need to keep movin'," he snapped._

"_No, we need to stay here for the night and take advantage of a shower. At this point I don't care if that means taking a bath in the river or lake or whatever we're next to, but I'm not getting back in that van tonight."_

"_This isn't up for discussion. We agreed to stop long enough for Kyle to fix the damn brakes." He ran a hand through his hair as he started pacing in agitation._

"_I'm not gonna stand here and argue with you about this," she said, leaning forward and snatching the keys that were dangling from his front pocket. "We're staying here tonight. I know you wanna get back on the road, and we will, but we'll do it after we've had a chance to air out. I'm sick of sweating all day long and then sleeping in clothes that're all slimy and gritty from sweating in them."_

_He had only gotten angrier at her outburst. "You'd rather stay here and run the risk of getting caught?"_

"_Yes, Michael," she snapped sarcastically, "that's exactly what I meant."_

"_Maybe Michael's right," Isabel said as she tapped her thumbnail against her bottom lip. "It's only been four days since we got pulled over for that taillight. The cop let us go with a warning, but it couldn't hurt to put more distance between us and – "_

"_We've put two states between us!" Maria yelled._

_Liz had been sitting on the ground, reading through the manual and handing Kyle tools as he needed them. He didn't really need any help, but she didn't have anything else to do and it gave her something to do. "We should just stay for the – "_

"_Maybe we should just stay out of it," Max interrupted. He had been watching her with Kyle for the past hour and his irritation had notched up when she pushed her hair behind her ear and laughed at something Kyle said. It wasn't even funny and it sure as hell wasn't __**that**__ funny._

_She had taken offense to his tone and she had got up to face him, her hand resting on the open side door to the van. "If you wanna stay out of it, stay out of it. We've all got a say in what goes on and I'm with Maria on this one. We need a night out of the van. We've put almost two thousand miles between us and that damn stop, we've changed the plates, and we've changed the paint job."_

"_If anyone cares, I'd be okay with stayin' here tonight," Kyle spoke up._

"_No one cares," Max bit out._

"_Get off of his case, Max," Maria muttered._

"_Don't tell him what to do," Liz argued._

_And from there it had all gone to hell. The argument had blown up all out of proportion for no reason other than they were hot, exhausted, and in desperate need of a break from each other. Maria and Michael had gone off on each other and everyone else until Maria had thrown the keys. It hadn't been intentional; she was just very energetic when she was… well, when she was doing pretty much anything, and when she had thrown her hand out in an erratic gesture the keys had gone flying._

"_I told you we should've just stayed out of it," Max mumbled, shaking his head at Michael's expression. _

_The guy looked like he was about to burst multiple blood vessels at the same time. He had gone bright red and that forehead vein had started throbbing in tandem with the muscle in his jaw ticking rhythmically. Maria had looked contrite, but it was too late to take that pitch back and it was way too late to put a lid on Michael's temper._

"_Just pick a side, Max," Liz snapped. "Let's put it to a vote and decide whether to stay for the night or go."_

"_This's ridiculous."_

"_It is ridiculous," she said as she reached inside and grabbed one of the sleeping bags and threw it at him. "We're staying here. Like Maria, I'd like to shower, bathe, whatever, before climbing back in this thing and roasting for the next two thousand miles."_

"_I don't even know why we're arguing about this."_

_Kyle had stood up, wiping his hands on a rag. "I think it's safe to say – "_

"_Shut up!" _

"_No one was askin' you!"_

_Max and Liz stared at each other when they both yelled at Kyle at the same time and before he could draw a breath Liz went off on him._

"_There's no reason for you to talk to him like that!" She leaned inside and grabbed one of the tents, turning to drop it on the ground as she reached for her bag. "He didn't do anything to you."_

"_He didn't do anything… Really?" His tone had intentionally been baiting. They had avoided __**that**__ topic the same way they generally avoided the topics of Tess and Zan. She hadn't had sex with Kyle. That much had been clear the night they had made love for the first time. He wasn't an idiot; she had been a virgin on their wedding night. It didn't erase the image of her in bed with Kyle though. It did nothing to answer the question about why the other guy had been in her bed and they had been naked. But he hadn't wanted to bring it up and ruin their time together and living with four other people twenty-four hours a day didn't really give them much of a chance to deal with their tumultuous past. Not that either of them was rushing to deal with it anyway._

"_Don't start with me, Max. We're all tired and we're staying here tonight." She took a step back and grabbed the door handle, putting all of her weight behind it as she gave it a shove._

_Max automatically turned and stuck his hand out to stop the door, realizing too late to jerk his hand back just how stupid that move was. He'd gotten his hand slammed in car doors before but the van was not one of these light fiberglass cars made today. He had felt the bones break as the sliding door pinned his hand and he had stared at it in shock._

"_Oh my God, Max!" Liz had run to the door and fumbled with it, crying heavily and unable to get a grip on the handle._

_Kyle had pushed her out of the way and pulled the handle and hauled the door back, and his coloring had turned grey when he saw Max's hand. "I'm not sure Buddha has a quote for this one," he mumbled under his breath._

_Michael had come back with the keys he had finally located and his fight with Maria had stalled out when they saw what had happened. "Max, can you heal that?" he asked, wincing at the mangled mess of the obviously broken hand._

"_He can heal it," Isabel said as she grabbed her brother's arm and turned him around to sit on the floor of the van. "Max, you're gonna need to focus on that hand."_

_He had healed his hand and he had felt every moment of it as the bones came back together and muscle and sinew was repaired. It had been a draining experience but it had solved the argument about whether they were staying at the campground that night and the argument between him and Liz had been forgotten. She had spent the rest of the evening fussing over him and making sure he was comfortable._

Max smiled as he ran his thumb over the nick again. She had felt so guilty over that for a long time and it hadn't even been her fault. He was the one who had stupidly tried to stop that heavy door by sticking his hand in its path. _What the hell was I thinking?_ His expression sobered as he pictured his little boy's sweet face again and he shifted restlessly. A year ago he had been obsessed with finding Zan and when the boy had come into his life it had been so brief. His son would have no memory of him and how would his adoptive parents explain his biological parents' absence? Would he think he was the product of an unwanted pregnancy? Would he wonder why he hadn't been good enough for them to keep? He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, wishing, hoping, maybe praying, he didn't know, that his son would grow up loved, secure, and confident in who he was and his place in the world.

He couldn't be there for his son but he hoped Zan had ended up with parents like Mom and Dad, people who would love him unconditionally. He swallowed and reached up to rub the bridge of his nose. His parents had loved him like that and he had somehow missed it. Isabel had known from the beginning, she had trusted them. Had it been instinctual? Intuition? For all of his thoughts about Michael being so closed off and unable to connect with others he was the same way. He had grown up in an environment that was warm and loving, provided with everything he could ever need and then some, and he had never wanted for anything, but he had still shut his parents out.

He shook his head at the path his thoughts were taking, unable to stop them from taking him to a park bench in the center of Roswell. He could clearly see the pain in his mom's eyes as she had practically begged him to talk to her. Earlier he had accused her of investigating him when all she had been doing was trying to understand, and then he had walked out on her. He had pushed her away and made her think she and Dad weren't enough, that he didn't see them as his real parents.

He had tried to assure her that nothing could be further from the truth, that she and Dad were enough. _I should've tried harder,_ he realized.

"_Max… nothing you are could ever turn me away from you. I mean… I love you. And you're my son. Do you understand that?"_

"_Yeah."_

But he hadn't, not really. _I understand now, Mom._ He had begged her to trust him but he had given her nothing in return. He had given her just enough to make her back off and stop pushing him for answers. His offer to leave had come from a sense of self-preservation from a threat that didn't exist. Dad had inadvertently become a threat only because he had started an investigation into his only son who had become ultra secretive and suddenly started acting so out of character. _All I had to do was trust them and I couldn't. Please don't let him make the same mistakes I made,_ he thought, not even knowing who or what he expected to be listening.

His son, six months, and thousands of miles had given him perspective but it was too little too late. His parents had been his home, they had been his very foundation, and he had been blind to it. How had he not seen it? Isabel had seen it from the first moment, she had taken one look at Philip and Diane Evans and she had known she was home.

Liz rubbed the side of her face against her pillow, reluctant to give in to the dim light beginning to filter in through the window but being pulled to consciousness anyway. She blinked a few times to clear her vision and the movement of Max's left hand caught her attention and she watched his thumb as it turned his wedding ring around his finger. Her gaze lifted to his face and she studied his expression, seeing the pain in it even before the weak light illuminated the track a single tear had created high on his cheekbone as it had traveled to its final destination. She swallowed with difficulty, knowing that it had to be thoughts of his son that had allowed the tear to not only form, but to escape.

She knew thoughts of Zan had to haunt him and she was torn about how to deal with it. He had buried his feelings and thoughts about his son, doing everything he could to spare her feelings. It wasn't fair to him to have to bottle up his emotions about his son and there was a part of her that wanted to tell him it was okay to talk about Zan, to just let his pain and grief over that loss out so that he could deal with it openly. She had overheard him one night when they had been camping out in Wyoming… maybe it was Idaho… at some point the states had started to run together.

She had woken up and realized that he wasn't beside her. After the momentary sense of panic she had heard the quiet murmur of voices and realized the campfire was still burning. She could still smell the scent of the fire and hear the sound of crickets chirping intermingled with the snapping and popping of the twigs and limbs they were burning. She had crept closer to the opening of the tent and pushed the flap aside with her forefinger as she peered outside. Max had been sitting on a log next to Maria, their voices hushed as they talked quietly. After a few moments their words had started to filter in and she had been able to decipher what they were saying.

"_Max, you've gotta talk to her," Maria said with a concerned glance at him. "Keeping it all inside – "_

"_I can't, Maria." He dropped his head forward and scrubbed his hands through his hair, leaving it standing up in places. "You know what I put her through last year. Talking about it now…" he shook his head. "I can't put her through that again."_

_She bumped his shoulder. "You're gonna have to. You guys are gonna have to deal with that whole Tess and Zan thing, girlfriend."_

"_Maybe you can get back to me after you and Michael discuss that whole Billy and Courtney thing," he said, his tone gently mocking._

"_Touche'." Maria sighed and poked the fire with the long branch she was holding, watching as tiny fiery sparks flew up to dance on the air before burning out and disappearing. "I don't even know how to talk about that with him." She bit her lip and turned her head to look at him._

"_Don't look at me, girlfriend," he said with a small smile. "I don't know either. Liz doesn't wanna talk about it anymore than I do."_

"_She has to know how much you're hurting over giving him up, Max. She can see it… she can feel it, I know she can. Hell, even if Michael and I aren't talking about something that's bothering him I know it's there and it hurts when he keeps it to himself." She nodded at the man prowling around on the opposite side of their campsite. "Even now he's on edge because we're on the run, we've had run-ins with cops and the FBI, and he can't relax. It's like he's on an adrenaline high and he can't come down… and he won't talk to me about it."_

_He lifted his gaze to look at Michael. "It's not the same thing, Maria. I slept with Tess and I got her pregnant."_

"_And when she brought your son to you," she reached out to touch his arm, "you had to turn around and give him away. I know it's not easy for her either, but, Max, you held Zan in your arms…"_

_Max smiled softly. It was nice to hear someone say his name without hesitation. "You know, you hear people talk about babies smelling so sweet." He shook his head and held his hands out to stare at them. "I never thought much about it until I held him, but they do. There's so much innocence and purity…" he swallowed hard, choking on the lump in his throat, "so much trust." He looked away. "And I just… I gave him to complete strangers."_

"_Max, girlfriend, you had to do what was best for him," she assured him as she hugged him tightly._

She had crawled back into her sleeping bag and pretended to be asleep when he had finally come to bed. He had never mentioned it and she had left it alone, feeling a mixture of guilt and relief that he had confided in Maria.

The first streaks of light were beginning to creep across the sky and filter into the bedroom, highlighting his features. Her eyes traced over his upper body, bare from the waist up. She reached out and let her fingers follow the path her eyes had taken and she looked up in time to see his lips lift in a slight smile.

"Hey," she whispered, "you wanna talk about what's on your mind?"

He shook his head and covered her hand with his. "Just thinkin' about the day I nicked my wedding ring."

She winced at the memory and she turned her hand over under his, linking their fingers together. "Nothing else on your mind?"

He studied her eyes for a minute before shaking his head reluctantly. "If you can think of a way for me to get outta dressing up like a big green elf I'd appreciate it."

"I know the costume sucks," she said, coming up on an elbow and resting her chin in her hand. "It is hideous, and to be honest, I'm not that thrilled with mine either, but I think Kyle's right, Max."

"_I think Kyle's right…"_ He forced his mind to drop that thought and to focus on what she was saying because it concerned his sister. "Just give in on this one?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"It's all she has and as long as she's focused on Christmas it'll give her a mental break and God knows she needs it too."

He grumbled under his breath and nodded. "Alright, but just for the record I don't like it. That stupid costume's a nightmare and I can't even begin to tell you how not excited I am about the whole reindeer thing."

Her thumb traced over his skin and she smiled at him, waggling her eyebrows playfully. "Got any reindeer wrangler moves you wanna show me?"

Max chuckled and rolled onto his side, nudging her over onto her back. "Might have one or two." He smiled as his fingers trailed over her face. "And as long as we don't have to worry about Santa comin' down the chimney to surprise us I might just show 'em to you."

"I think Snowflake's got him adequately distracted," she said with a wink. "Ya know," she moved to straddle him, slowly bending down to brush her lips against his, "this elf's gonna have to rely on Santa's handsome and strong reindeer wrangler…"

"Have you seen the tights, Liz?"

Her voice lowered to a husky murmur. "Um-hmm, I've seen them. Bet they're gonna be rather form-fitting." Her eyes traced over his bare chest before she leaned down for a chaste kiss. She lifted her head, releasing his lips, and her hair fell forward to brush against his skin. Her eyes locked with his as one of her hands began to search beneath the covers. "Hmm… what do you think will be on my mind all day while I'm watching you run around in those tights that outline every – " She squeaked when he hissed and suddenly rolled her over onto her back. His eyes were dark and filled with a hunger that stirred every womanly desire she possessed. Her arms went up around his shoulders as his hips settled into familiar territory and she looked up at him, licking her lips as he positioned himself over her.

She reached up to touch his face and he caught her wrist, his eyes never breaking contact with hers as he sank into her with a soft groan.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Isabel lay on her back in bed and stared at the picture in her hand. It was a picture that had been taken during their trip to Vegas. It was the only picture she had from home because when she had been grabbing a few things in anticipation of running she had taken it by mistake. Tess had been removed from the photograph, her countenance wiped away with a simple brush of her fingertip. She wished she could go back and change things, remove the threat that Tess had been, and hold onto her life and the people she cared about who had slipped through her fingers.

She brushed the pad of her thumb over the smiling faces and she swallowed past the lump in her throat as her gaze stayed on Alex's face long enough for her vision to blur. She blinked the tears away and focused on Kyle instead. He could be such a clown when it suited him, but there was a depth to him that so many overlooked. She shifted around to get comfortable as she tapped the picture thoughtfully. _Who should she visit tonight?_ Her finger brushed over Alex's smiling face but that tug of connection no longer existed. She smiled sadly, remembering her visit into his dreams and how special he had made her feel when she had witnessed the way he saw her.

She dismissed Liz immediately because the last time had been enough for her. Max? At one time his dreams would've centered around Liz exclusively, but these days his mind was a massive mix of confusing thoughts and images wrapped around his son, their parents, Liz of course, and at times, even dreams of his beloved wife were somehow confused with images of her and Kyle in a compromising position. _Yeah,_ she snorted, _like that would've ever happened._ Hmm, no, she didn't need the drama. There was enough of that going on.

Michael? Maria? _No and no,_ she decided. The last time she had ventured into either of their dreams she had been quick to make an escape. They both had their fears; their relationship, things in their past, being caught by the FBI, and she had stumbled into those nightmares before. But the last time the only nightmares resulting from the dreamwalk had been hers. Those dreams had been hot enough to make her blush and that wasn't something she did easily or often. At least she had been spared the embarrassment of either of them knowing she had been surfing the dreamplane because they had been too busy to notice her.

Kyle. Yeah, Kyle could be counted on to lighten the mood. He could be contemplative and serious in his dreams or he could be a clown, but either way he didn't mind that she stopped in to visit on occasion. He encouraged it, claiming to have no memory of it the next morning, although she suspected that wasn't entirely true. He knew she didn't always sleep well and there was no need to keep up the pretense with him that things were fine, that she was fine. He saw right through it anyway… something she both appreciated and hated at the same time. She shifted around to get more comfortable. The last time she had looked in on him he had been asleep, his mattress pulled out into his doorway to be closer to the heat.

Her fingertip moved over his face, her eyes drifting closed as the picture seemed to ripple under her touch. She looked around as the scenery began to materialize and after a moment the sound of a screaming crowd began to filter in and she realized she was standing on the high school football field in Roswell. To her it was no different from any other football game, but she could see by the look on his face as he looked around that it was different. She stood back, observing him as he relived a moment of glory.

_His uniform was stained with sweat, dirt and grass, and his right arm was bleeding from an earlier hit he had taken, but the grin on his face said that he wasn't feeling any pain. One of the other guys gave him a shove and said something that made Kyle laugh as they took up their positions once more. He shouted out the calls, gibberish to her ears, and she absently wondered how anyone understood what he was saying._

_The ball was snapped and he caught it, moving back and staying in constant motion as the field erupted in a flurry of activity. Sweat dripped down from his forehead to drip in his eyes and he blinked it away as his sharp gaze searched for the open man downfield as his teammates blocked their opponents and bought him that crucial few seconds. He spotted his open man, right where he was supposed to be, and as his arm came back the crowd packing the stadium held its collective breath. He threw the perfect pass and Tommy caught it in the air, his body hitting the ground and landing in the end zone with a bone-jarring impact that he didn't even seem to feel as he jumped back up, football held high in victory. The crowd went insane and out of all of them it was Jim Valenti's voice that stood out above all the others._

_She could see the pride in the man's face as he watched his son and she smiled at the face-splitting grin on Kyle's face as he unsnapped his chinstrap and jerked his helmet off, holding it up as the scoreboard showed off the score. His teammates rushed him, carrying him off of the field on their shoulders. The air was electric with victory and she could feel just how happy Kyle was. She watched as he was finally lowered to the ground once more and his dad gave him a congratulatory hug, spreading the praise around to the other guys as well. The senior Valenti sent the boys off to the locker room, telling them to have a good time, and warning them to stay out of trouble._

"_That was a good night."_

_She turned to look at him. At some point over the past six months he had developed the ability to separate himself from the dream, appearing as an observer, and it was during these moments that he would talk to her._

"_You looked happy."_

_He grinned. "That was the game that took us to State. Dad was proud of me."_

"_Your dad was always proud of you, Kyle."_

"_I didn't always know it. After Mom left us he threw himself into his work even more than he had before." He kicked at a clump of dirt and grass that had been disturbed during a play and he stared out at the stadium that was nearly empty now. "I don't think my dad and I really connected until the alien invasion," he said, poking her and giving her a teasing smile. "After I was shot and Max healed me it's like it woke something up in him. I was never so glad to get away to go to football camp."_

"_Yeah, and you came back spouting off Buddhist quotes."_

"_Hey, don't knock Buddha." He laughed quietly. "Boy that really threw Dad for a loop. He had this perpetual look of confusion on his face every time I said something when I came back. You know I actually started making sense to him."_

"_With the Buddhist stuff?" she asked skeptically._

"_Yeah, we were watchin' a game and he started yelling at one of the players to visualize. It was right before Christmas…" he sobered. "Two years ago."_

_Isabel swallowed hard. "When Tess…"_

"_Yeah." He cleared his throat and motioned to the end zone. "Did you see that pass? Had to be one of the sweetest passes in the history of the game. The pass, that's when I threw the ball…"_

"_I know what a pass is," she said, smacking his arm and following his lead when he changed the subject. "It was pretty impressive." She smiled and squeezed his arm when she saw the look in his eyes. "You wanna go to the party, don't you?"_

"_Just reliving my glory days. Not exactly baseball, but it's as close as I'll ever get to playin' left field for the Astros." He frowned. "Seems a shame to be sayin' that at 19 years old."_

"_I'm sorry, Kyle."_

"_For what?" he asked, turning his head to look at her._

"_That you got caught up in this thing. That all of your dreams have been shelved because of us."_

_He shook his head and reached out to catch her hand. "Don't be 'cause I'm not. It's not perfect or ideal, but we belong together and it's allowed us to survive."_

_She looked down at their joined hands for a moment before smiling at him. "Go to your party, Kyle."_

_He cocked an eyebrow at her. "Wanna go? We had a lot of fun that night."_

_She shook her head at the boyish grin on his face. "Tempting, but I'm gonna pass. You go and enjoy yourself."_

"_I'll catch up with you later," he said and started to walk across the field._

She watched as he disappeared from sight and knew he'd reappear wherever the party had been that night. She had never known anyone else on the dreamscape to have that ability, but everyone's subconscious was different. Her eyes opened and she shifted, rearranging the pillows behind her and sitting up to lean back against them.

"Can't sleep, huh?"

Her head snapped up and she reached over to place the photograph on the nightstand when she saw Alex sitting on the foot of the bed. "I miss my parents. I don't even know how they're doing… if they're okay." Without a picture of them she couldn't connect to slip into their dreams and she had been in such a hurry that day that she had grabbed the wrong picture.

"You'll see them again, Isabel," he assured her with a smile.

She studied his sincere expression. "How do you know?"

"Being on this side has its advantages." He shrugged one shoulder and got up to move around the room. "Trust me, Isabel."

"You stopped coming to me…"

"After you accepted Jesse's proposal." He nodded. "You didn't need the confusion. You needed to move on."

"You didn't think he was right for me."

"No, but how could I deny you what you wanted more than anything? You wanted normal and he was a normal guy. Considerably older," he grumbled under his breath, "but normal. If I'd hung around you would've ended up feeling guilty and as much as I wanted to hang around I didn't wanna do that to you."

"You came when I needed you. That's all that matters," she said quietly.

He paused in his aimless pacing to look at her when she wiggled down under the covers. "Think you'll sleep now?" He chuckled. "You've got a big day tomorrow. If you hear laughing from the rafters it'll just be me. I can't miss out on seeing your brother dressed up as an oversized elf or Michael stuck in a Santa suit." He nodded. "Gotta say, that whole reindeer wrangler thing, now that was a stroke of genius."

"He'll be fine." She sighed and snuggled deeper into the pillows. "The kids will love him and his goofy costume."

"Um-hmm," he smiled knowingly, "so you admit it's a goofy costume."

She chuckled sleepily. "Not to him." She sighed as her eyes drifted shut. "Thanks for being here, Alex."

"Always," he promised, his hand ghosting over her cheek as she finally succumbed to sleep. He walked through the cabin once more, his gaze taking everything in. He laughed quietly at Kyle, his mattress wedged into the doorway and sleeping like a baby. He shook his head before his eyes moved back to Isabel and then he disappeared from sight.

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Maria awoke slowly, stretching before rolling over to face Michael's side of the bed. She was blinking to clear her eyes and they widened when she found him still in bed. It was the first time he had stayed in bed with her since before they broke up. Normally he was up and moving around before she awoke, in the shower or pacing around watching the time. She came up on her elbow and watched him, enjoying the rare moment to take in his sleep-softened features. After a while she shifted slightly, shivering as she pushed herself into a half-sitting position and she froze when his arm came around her, automatically seeking her out when she moved away from him.

"Hey," he rasped, his voice gravelly with sleep.

She smiled. "Hey," she said back, shivering slightly.

His right arm poked free of the covers and the fingers of his hand splayed wide as he turned it toward the fireplace and a moment later the fire came to life. He grinned with satisfaction when she giggled quietly and snuggled into his chest.

She tipped her head just enough to take a look at the clock on the nightstand, noting that it was almost 8:30am. Her thoughts wandered to breakfast, wondering if they had time to squeeze it in before they were expected to put in an appearance over at Mr. Tony's for their costume fittings. Her thoughts switched to Michael and she wondered if maybe he had forgiven her. She shifted, raising herself up to give him a kiss, relieved and hopeful when he returned it, his mobile lips soft and his kiss thorough.

Their eyes were locked on each other and though it was a moment free of the doubts about their relationship neither of them knew what exactly it meant to the other. Before either of them could consider voicing their thoughts the moment was interrupted by what sounded like several fists knocking on the front door and they jumped apart.

Michael frowned and his hand settled in the side of her neck, his thumb tracing over her jaw as he met her nervous gaze. "Stay here," he ordered gruffly. It wasn't the kind of knock associated with an invading force of FBI agents. "It's nothin' to worry about," he assured her as he rolled out of bed and pulled a pair of jeans on. He shrugged into his shirt as he walked to the front door, muttering under his breath. "Valenti, if this's a prank I swear you're in deep shit." He kicked the back leg of the chair he had wedged up under the doorknob and set it back out of sight before unlocking the door and pulling it open just enough to rest his frame in the opening and blocking Maria from view.

Edward, Brian and Eddie stood on the other side and his right eyebrow quirked when he saw them decked out in hockey gear. His eyes settled on the extra stick in Eddie's hand. "What's up, guys?"

"Thought we'd knock the puck around on the lake before we're put to work like a bunch of slaves," Edward spoke up.

"Yeah, Big Dave thought these skates would fit you," Brian said, holding up an extra pair of skates.

"Hockey, huh?"

Listening to the conversation from her warm cocoon of pillows and blankets Maria thought back to a time when Michael had friends and it warmed her heart. She smiled when he turned his head to look at her and she could see how much he wanted to go out and play. The night before she had been trying to remember the last time she had really seen him laugh and it suddenly hit her. It was that day at the Crashdown when he had come in for breakfast with Steve, Fly and Monk after their shift. Her eyes shone brightly as she freed one of her hands from beneath the covers to wave at him. "Go… I'll start breakfast in an hour."

His lips quirked in a slight smile as he thought, _not if I can help it._ He glanced back at the guys and nodded. "I'll be right out."


	37. Chapter 37

**Part 37**

Maria looked up more than an hour later when she heard the noise at the front door and a few seconds later it swung open and Michael stuck his head in, glancing around to make sure she was out of bed before he opened the door wide and allowed Brian and Eddie to come in behind him.

"So, that wasn't bad for a rookie, man," Brian said as he kicked the snow off of his boots.

Michael was wearing a grin the size of Texas as he glanced at Maria. "Stop right there," he said as she raised her right hand to crack an egg into a bowl. "I've got breakfast. Me an' the boys are hungry for – "

"French toast!" Eddie yelled.

"Okay, well, I'll make up the batter," Maria said agreeably. She rolled her eyes when Michael got out of his gear in record time and hurried over to rush her out of the kitchen.

"I've got it," he insisted, giving her a smile.

Maria's eyes widened when he looked at her and she caught the abrasions on the right side of his forehead and down over his cheekbone. "Good grief, Michael, what'd you do?"

"He missed the puck and slid across the ice on his face," Brian said, laughing.

Michael shook his head. "I didn't miss the puck," he said, his voice low.

"Coulda fooled us," Eddie added, high-fiving his older brother. "Most people try to put the puck in the net and Michael tried to slide through it on his face."

"Keep it up," Michael growled, "and I won't make French toast."

"Hey," she protested, her bottom lip quivering, "I was gonna cook."

"Babe…" he ducked his head down, his lips brushing her ear as he whispered, "Maria, you sure can cook but not in the kitchen."

She poked him hard. "Hey, I can cook! There was that time…"

His smirk grew as he shook his head.

Maria looked back at the boys shoving each other as they fought to get to the remote first. Brian had his brother in a headlock as they played tug-o-war with the remote. The two of them were already tousled, their clothes in disarray, but they were perfectly content. As the battled ended with what looked like a rather painful elbow jab to Eddie's ribs the boys came over to the kitchen area and leaned against the counter on either side of Michael. She smiled as she remembered Michael with his buddies from Meta-Chem. "I'll take cinnamon and butter on mine with maple syrup."

He looked up when someone started banging on the door. "One of you guys wanna get that for me?" He snapped his fingers in front of Eddie's face when he realized the boy's eyes were glued to Maria as she dug around in the refrigerator for something to drink.

"Huh?" Eddie turned to look at Michael and quickly nodded. "Right, front door. I got it." He glared at his brother when he heard him snickering and ran across the room to pull the door open. "Hey, Kyle, what're you doin' here?"

"Uh…" Kyle looked around the room, taking in the couple and their guests. He frowned at the scrapes on Michael's face but left his comments until later. "I'm here because it's after 9am and the Christmas N… I mean, Isabel, said that she's got a million things that need to be done today and she's short a few people."

"Wow, so is your wife always like this?" Eddie asked as he resumed his position next to Michael.

"Only at Christmastime," Kyle answered.

"We're havin' breakfast first, Valenti," Michael spoke up. "So, if you need to run back and give the wife a sit rep then run along."

Eddie reached over and patted Maria on the back when she choked on her milk. "Are you okay, Maria?"

"I'm fine, Eddie, thanks," she rasped, shooting a glare at Michael when he just shrugged and continued with his breakfast preparations.

Kyle grinned at the couple and shouldered his way into the room. "What's for breakfast?"

"No one invited you to stay an' eat."

"That's alright, no one invited you to shower over at the Evans' place the other day but you did." He shrugged and visually cataloged the ingredients scattered around. "French toast, huh? My dad likes bourbon vanilla French toast." He made a face. "Scrambled eggs would be better."

"Haven't you had breakfast, Kyle?" Maria asked as she filled the Tigger mug with coffee and handed it to Michael.

"Breakfast was a bit rushed this morning. I've already been up to the house to collect Julia's sewing machine so Isabel can work on costumes tonight, I've been over to Mr. Tony's place to check the lights and make sure they're in working order after being up overnight…" he paused when Brian snickered. "What?"

"Man, you had the worst time with those lights yesterday. I know Dad has trouble with ours every year, but wow… I've never seen anyone have to check every single strand!"

"Yeah," Eddie agreed, "that was really unlucky."

"The greatest quality is seeking to serve others."

"Say what?" Brian asked, looking at him as if he'd just sprouted wings and said he could fly.

"He's a Buddhist," Michael said as he flipped the toast over.

Eddie looked at Kyle, his gaze curious. "I thought you guys like shave your head and wear dresses and go around chanting and stuff."

"They're robes, not dresses." Kyle glared at Michael when he snickered at that. "No, your basic everyday Buddhist doesn't necessarily dress that way. Monks will wear the traditional robes, but most practicing Buddhists don't wear the robes."

"Huh." Eddie looked at his brother and they shrugged at the same time. "So, do monks wear like underwear and stuff?"

"What?"

"Is your wife a Buddhist?" Brian asked, saving Kyle from having to answer the other question.

Michael and Maria exchanged a look as they waited to see if Kyle was about to really stick his foot in his mouth with his pretend wife.

"Um, no, Isabel's not a Buddhist."

Eddie leaned forward and rested his elbows on the counter. "Do you meditate?"

"Yes, I do."

He turned his head to look at Michael when he flipped the two slices of French toast over and then caught them on a plate. "Dad tried that once with a grilled cheese." He made a face. "The bread came apart and landed on the floor, cheese side down."

"Mine never land on the floor," Michael bragged. He handed the plate to Eddie and motioned to the small breakfast table. "Here, chow down. If we don't get a move on Isabel will show up wantin' to know where we're at." He grinned at Kyle. "And we don't want to see Kyle getting in trouble with his wife, do we?"

Brian and Eddie laughed. "Yeah, we do," they said at the same time.

"You guys are a riot. That's okay though. You go ahead and laugh it up," he said with a shrug. "All I have to do is let the wife know that there're job duties that haven't been assigned." He thought for a second and then nodded to himself. "Yeah, like the reindeer… I hear they're a real mess to clean up after." He reached over and tapped the carton of eggs. "That'd be scrambled, El Capitan," he said with a smirk.

"I'm not cleanin' up after a bunch of reindeer, Valenti," Michael growled.

"Then I wouldn't forget the cheese in those eggs. Couple slices of bacon would be great too, crispy but not crunchy." He leaned over to slap Michael on the shoulder. "Thanks, man."

Maria shook her head at them, smiling at the relaxed atmosphere between the guys. "Whatever you're fixing you'd better get a move on, Spaceboy. We're already late and you know Isabel won't let that go. She'll get her pound of flesh out of us one way or the other and I'd like to still be able to move by the time we're released from our mandatory servitude this evening."

Michael just snorted at that and tossed the next batch of French toast in the pan while he started cracking eggs in a bowl, ignoring Kyle's look of triumph. "You're only getting eggs 'cause I'm makin' the same thing for Maria, so you can choke on that stupid grin."

Kyle just nodded, not believing a word of it. "So what happened to your face?" he asked after Michael had handed Brian a plate and sent him over to the table to join his brother. "Maria smack you upside the head with a cheese grater?"

"You're funny this mornin', Valenti. How's that kindergarten bed workin' for you?"

Maria rolled her eyes at them and grabbed a couple more plates, setting them on the counter on Michael's right side. They were already late so there was no reason to try to rush him now.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Maggie looked up at Daddy as she walked along beside him from Mr. Tony's house to the barn. "Where're the boys?" she asked. "Aren't they gonna help out today?"

Edward looked down at his little girl and smiled. "They'll be along." Although he had no idea what was taking so long. It'd been a little more than an hour since they'd gone back to the cabin to warm up and collect Maria. And half an hour ago Isabel had sent Kyle to collect all of them. He had escaped the house amid elf costume fittings, telephone conversations with the company who would be supplying the reindeer, and an impatient woman who was ready to throttle her husband/assistant for wasting precious time.

"Oh, look!" she shouted happily, tugging on his hand and pointing at the group walking up the driveway. She paused after a moment. "How come the boys are with Michael?"

"Well," he coughed to clear his throat, "they went back over to the cabin with him after we finished knockin' the puck around on the ice."

Her bottom lip quivered as she looked between Daddy and Michael. "No one 'vited me to go."

Edward smiled and shook his head. "Maggie, honey, you were helping Mama over here. You can't be everywhere he is."

"Can I go say hi?"

He nodded and waved her on. "Go ahead." He chuckled under his breath when she took off like a shot. "Be careful, Maggie!" he yelled after her. The last thing he wanted was to see her take a header on the hard-packed snow.

Maggie ran down the driveway, stopping a foot or so in front of Michael and glancing at the boys before looking up to meet his gaze. "You missed breakfast this mornin'."

"He just had breakfast, goofy," Brian said with a roll of his eyes. "With us."

She frowned at her brothers when they continued on their way up to the house to get their assignments. "You had breakfast with the boys?"

Michael crouched down to meet her on her level. "I did, yes."

"You played hockey with them too?" she asked, her bottom lip jutting out in a pout.

"Um-hmm." He pointed to his face. "I think I'm gonna need some more practice though."

Her gloved hand came up to ever so gently brush against the abrasions. "Do they hurt?"

"Nah." He reached out to tug on Miss Cindy's paw. "I know she's a polar bear, but she looks a little chilly."

Maggie looked down at Cindy. "Think so?"

"Tell you what… I'm all full now, so I'm yours for the rest of the day." He gave the little bear another tug and Maggie released her beloved toy into his hands, watching him as he unzipped his coat enough to tuck the bear inside his jacket with her nose poking over the zipper.

Maggie watched him as he snugged the zipper up under Cindy's chin and after a moment she leaned in and pressed her ear close to the bear. "Cindy says she's much warmer now." She smiled at him. "Thank you."

"You're very welcome, Princess Maggie. Would you care to get your feet outta the snow and let your Captain of the Guard carry you back up to the house?"

She giggled and nodded, laughing outright when he swung her up and settled her on his shoulders. "Did you have fun playing hockey, Michael?" she asked.

Maria smiled when she and Kyle were excluded from the conversation as Maggie and Michael discussed hockey, breakfast, and anything else that struck the little girl's fancy. "He's so good with kids."

Kyle glanced at her. "That's not an indicator that your biological clock's tickin' is it?" He grinned and tried to pinch her side, something that wasn't possible with the bulky winter gear she was wearing.

She ducked out of his reach and ran back at him, pushing him off balance and into the snow lining the sides of the driveway. She laughed gleefully and dodged him when he hauled himself up and ran after her.

"They're funny," Maggie said as she watched them chasing each other through the snow.

Michael smiled at Maria's carefree laugh and he tipped his head back to look up at Maggie. "Yeah, they are."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Isabel stepped out on the porch, arms crossed over her chest as she watched Kyle and Maria horsing around. The fingers of her right hand drummed against her upper left arm and she just barely kept her foot from tapping out an annoyed rhythm against the porch as she waited for them to take notice of her appearance. She brought the impulse to smile at their antics under control and cleared her throat, immensely pleased when she saw Kyle hunch his shoulders at the realization that she had caught him.

He slowly straightened up and his expression sobered as he turned to face Isabel. "Hey, what's up?"

"Where have you been?"

_Ooookay,_ he muttered silently, _you were expecting the question so play it cool, Valenti._ He exchanged a look with Michael when he and Maggie joined them. "Uh, well…" he cleared his throat and glanced at Maria and then back at Michael. _Sorry, buddy. _

Michael had a feeling he was about to be thrown under the bus so Kyle could escape the Christmas Nazi's wrath. He could feel himself fidgeting even though he was fighting to stand still under her narrowed gaze.

"See, Michael wanted – "

"Michael and the boys played hockey with Daddy." She leaned slightly to one side, reaching down to pat his face when she couldn't adequately see him. "See? He has an ouch on his face." She paused for a moment to take in a breath. "An' then Kyle came over an' Michael was makin' French toast for breakfast but Kyle didn't want that…" she bit her lip when she caught the look of irritation on Isabel's face. "I didn't get to have breakfast with them neither, but Michael says he's all mine today now."

Michael's face split into a big grin. No way Isabel would disappoint the little girl and on top of that she'd have to watch herself as long as Maggie was around. Next to him he could feel how much effort Kyle was expending trying to keep from letting loose with a big ol' donkey laugh.

Isabel glanced to the side when Brian and Eddie joined them but her gaze pinned Michael as she spoke to Maggie. "Oh, that's so sweet of Michael to help you out today." She smiled. "You know, I have just the perfect job for you two. Do you like to decorate Christmas trees?"

Maggie nodded enthusiastically and she patted Michael's head. "It's a lot of fun isn't it, Michael?"

He had no idea but he nodded because he knew it's what she was expecting.

"Wonderful. I have the boxes of ornaments that need to be hung on the trees out here," she said and gestured to the property around them. "You and Michael are just the right height for the job."

Michael cleared his throat as he looked around at the trees as Maggie clapped her hands excitedly. "Uh, so what, like a couple of the ones close to the house?" He swallowed hard when she just smiled at him and he turned slowly to do a count of the trees dotted along the driveway.

"The boxes are on the table closest to the door… they're marked for the outdoor trees."

"Of course they are," he muttered. He glared at Kyle when he tried to sneak off. "I think maybe Kyle should give us a hand. It is his fault we're late… I mean, he's the one who wanted bacon an' scrambled eggs. If he'd just had toast like everyone else we could've been here at least 45 minutes ago."

Kyle sighed when Michael helpfully pointed the finger of guilt in his direction and he knew his goose was cooked as soon as she pinned him with that pointed gaze. "I'll just go grab those ornaments."

"No, I have something even more special in mind for you, honey."

_Crap._

Brian glanced up at Michael. "Man, I'm never getting married."

Michael snickered because he knew Kyle wouldn't dare agree at that moment.

Isabel turned to look at the boys. "Brian, Eddie, do you boys think you could give Kyle a hand erecting the reindeer pen in the barn?"

"The reindeer…?" Kyle shook his head. "Honey, I'm a mechanic, not a carpenter, and I'm pretty sure that falls under the Reindeer Wrangler's duties."

She knew getting him to do what she wanted would be easier if there was some incentive to motivate him. "Kyle, do me a favor and check on Max for me, would you? He's being fitted for his costume in the barn – "

"Oh, I'm so there." He was on his way to the barn before she could even finish what she was saying.

"Uh… we've gotta grab those boxes of ornaments," Michael said, hurrying after him.

"You're real excited about decorating the trees, huh, Michael?" Maggie asked.

"Huh?" There was not enough money in the world to stop him from making fun of Max right now. "Oh, yeah, right. You pretty good at this tree decorating thing?"

Maggie smiled. "Yes! Mrs. Tony always made Mr. Tony put the birds in the trees, the white ones and the red ones."

"Okay." He grumbled under his breath when Kyle ducked through the opening between the doors first.

Kyle stopped just inside the doors and bit the inside of his cheek to control his laughter. _God, Buddha, Santa Claus… they all existed, there was no doubt about it._ Max Evans was standing on a box in the center of the open space wearing a green outfit that was at least two sizes too big while Dayna took some measurements. "Wow, Evans… that's… that really had to be one big elf last year." His gaze followed the hideous outfit until it landed on the hat, once again perched on Max's head. "But I've gotta say I love the hat. Really, it balances out those ears."

Maggie motioned for Michael to put her down and she walked over to Max, tipping her head back and looking up at him. "Are you gonna be helpin' Santa with his reindeer?"

Max glanced down at her, feeling like ten kinds of fool. "Yeah, someone has to look after his reindeer while he's here."

Her eyes widened. "He's really gonna bring his reindeer?"

"Well, it probably won't be all of them. Maybe just a couple… I hope," he added under his breath.

"Can I meet them?"

Max looked at Kyle and Michael, knowing they were going to start laughing at any second. "You know, if you can keep those two occupied I'll see what I can do about you getting a ride with Santa and his visiting reindeer while they're here."

Her mouth formed an _O_ of surprise and she ran over to hug him, unaware of just how uncomfortable he was. "Thanks, Max!" She ran back over to Michael and grabbed his hand. "C'mon, we gotta go decorate those trees an' Kyle's gotta make that pen for the reindeer 'cause his wife said so."

"Sounds like the wife's got you by the short ones, Valenti," he smirked.

Kyle just grinned at him. "Better get to decorating… rumor has it Santa's close by."

Michael glared at him and followed Maggie when she tugged on his hand insistently. "Good luck with that pen. Hope it cooperates better than those lights did." He grabbed two of the boxes that Maggie pointed to and followed her outside.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Julia poked her head around the corner of the living room doorway to glance at the costume the girls were discussing. Dayna had come in a while ago with Max's costume and she and Isabel had gone over the necessary alterations before it had been carefully folded and put away for later. Now they were busy decorating the artificial trees set up in two corners of the room, flanking the wide picture window that looked out over the front yard. She glanced over the red Santa suit being held up by Dayna as Isabel looked it over with a critical eye.

"You really think you'll get Michael into that suit?" she asked.

Isabel looked up and nodded. "Oh, he'll wear it." She smiled as she turned her head to look at the blonde fussing with a strand of garland. "Maria will see to that."

Maria rolled her eyes. "Please," she said and glanced outside. A smile graced her lips as she watched Michael kneeling next to Maggie, sorting through the red and white birds that were dwarfed in his big hands before handing her one. "He won't need any convincing," she said with a nod at the little girl he had picked up so she could reach a high branch to hang the red bird. "He'll do it for her."

Julia smiled and went back to wrapping the cookies in cellophane, tying each little bundle with a red ribbon. The cookies were shaped like trees and stars and decorated with yellow and green sprinkles and little red ribbons. She glanced over her shoulder when Edward came inside and she hid a smile when he paused in the living room for a few minutes of small talk before coming into the kitchen. She had known Edward more than long enough to decipher his different looks and expressions and the one he was currently wearing told her his curiosity about the gang's procurement of Shane's old van was driving him up the wall.

"These kids are young to be married," he said quietly. "Max and Liz, okay, they're pretty obvious. Kyle and Isabel, not so much, and have you noticed that he doesn't wear a wedding ring?"

"You're turning into a nosy old woman, Edward," Julia chuckled. "If I recall correctly Isabel said he's a mechanic and a lot of men who work with machinery don't wear their wedding rings." She pulled another tray of cookies out of the oven. "Besides, I seem to recall a certain young man explaining in great detail how he didn't care for jewelry and how he didn't feel it was necessary for him to wear a ring."

Edward looked down at the simple gold band he wore. _Yeah, he remembered that._ He had expected resistance from her over that declaration but his Julia had been fine with it, insisting that she didn't have a problem with that and she understood. Of course, then she had turned around and stated that she didn't need to wear a ring to show that she was married either. What mattered was what they had in their hearts. He could still recall his disgruntled snort at that. There had been no way he was going to let his beautiful young bride go anywhere without his ring on her finger. He smiled faintly and shot one more glance at his concession. The ring was scarred and it showed its years of wear but it had become a part of him. "Yeah, that argument didn't work with you, so how do you suppose it worked for Kyle?"

Julia elbowed his hand away when he reached around her to snag one of the cooling cookies. "Shush, Edward, it doesn't matter. Have you seen the way they act around each other?"

Edward wrapped his arms around his wife and nuzzled her neck. "Think so?"

"Speaking of Kyle, why don't you go down to the barn and see how he's coming along with that pen? Maybe give him a hand if he needs some help," she suggested.

He grinned. "Depends on how many of those cookies you're willin' to part with."

She sidestepped, taking the sheet of cookies with her. "Uh-huh, and if you go and help him now maybe you'll have a couple waiting for you later."

"Ungh, Mom… Dad, you guys have to know how embarrassing this is," Brian complained from behind them.

"Thank you for expressing your opinion," Julia said with a smile. "Where's your brother?"

"He's helping Kyle with that pen." He rolled his eyes. "I think Max was trying to collect his dignity." He snorted. "Pretty sure that's out the window."

"You be nice."

He rolled his eyes at Mom's admonishment and wandered into the living room, throwing himself on the sofa and slouching down comfortably.

"I think it's time for you to take that young man in there and head down to the barn, Edward. I can only imagine that Kyle's going to be needing some help out there. Those panels for the pen looked to be pretty heavy and since Brian's deserted him and left Eddie to help…"

"Well, he has Max to give him a hand."

"Yeah, and Mom, I'm done for the day," Brian said when he overheard her remarks. "No more building pens or whatever."

"Um-hmm, well, if you're finished with that type of work then I can use a hand in here cleaning up the kitchen once these cookies are finished."

Brian heaved a long-suffering sigh and hauled himself to his feet once more. "Fine, but I'm not happy about it."

"I know, and I'm alright with that." She smiled and ushered him and Edward out of the house once more, sending them to give Kyle a hand with the pen before going back to her cookies.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Maggie leaned back against Michael and tipped her head back to look up at him. "Hey, Michael, if you stay with us for Christmas who's gonna help your mommy and daddy decorate your tree?"

He studied her for a moment, debating on what to tell her. "Well, I've never really done the whole Christmas thing with the decorating and stuff."

"What about your mommy and daddy?"

He cleared his throat and hunkered down in front of her. "Maria and the others… they're my family. See, some people don't have a family like you have with a mom and a dad and brothers and sisters. And when they don't, they kinda make their own family." _Well, maybe it was the other way around,_ he thought with an inner smile.

"But everyone has a mommy and daddy. Did yours go to heaven like Mr. Tony did?"

His thumb stroked over the wing of the little white bird he was holding as he considered his answer. He wasn't a liar and he didn't want to start now, especially not with her. "I don't know much about my parents, Maggie. They weren't there when I was growing up and eventually I found my way into the family I'm in now."

"Oh." She stared at him as she mulled over what he had said and after a few moments she leaned forward and hugged him. "I'm glad you have them for a family then 'cause they love you a lot." When she released him she touched the bird in his hand and looked up at him. "I like the way you decorate trees," she said with a smile.

He cleared his throat. "Guess we'd better get back to work, huh? We've got a few more to do before we're finished out here." Somehow talking to Maggie about things that were otherwise painful didn't seem to dig at the old scars. She was curious about things and she asked her questions in a direct manner but once they were answered she moved on to the next subject.

"Look," she said, pointing over his left shoulder, "your friend Max is coming over."

He turned his head and followed her pointing finger, grinning when the image of Max in that ridiculous elf costume immediately came to mind. He actually felt kinda bad for the guy because no one should have to look that stupid. "Finished with the fitting?"

"I hope so," Max grumbled. He watched Maggie as she walked around the tree to find a suitable place to hang the bird in her hand. "I've done a lot of things for my sister over the years, but this's by far the most humiliating."

"It'll be okay, Max," Maggie said as she peered around the tree to smile up at him. "I don't think you looked silly at all and you get to take care of Santa's reindeer. Aren't you excited about that?"

_No, not really._ "I'm trying to be."

"Wanna help us decorate the trees? It's fun."

Michael smirked and grabbed a box of ornaments, shoving it into his friend's hands. "It's fun, Evans. And it's gotta be better than the alternative."

Max made a face at that. Back home Isabel had always ended up rearranging every decoration he hung on the tree anyway. Chances were good she'd do the same thing here. Not that he really cared. His options were decorating trees with Michael and Maggie or putting that stupid reindeer pen together with Kyle and the boys. Not much to think about there. "Lemme have 'em and tell me where to put 'em." He paused and shook his head at the look of amusement on Michael's face. "On second thought, just give 'em to me, I can figure out the rest."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

At the picture window Liz was watching as Max ducked a tackle from one of the boys. She had been keeping an eye on them off and on throughout the later part of the afternoon when he had joined the little girl and Michael. He had been stiff and his discomfort had been palpable but after a while he had started to relax and his demeanor had slowly changed as they decorated the trees and Maggie talked the guys' ears off.

"It's not the same as last time," Maria said quietly as she joined Liz at the window.

"No, I know that. Rationally, I know that. There's no reason for me to worry about him trying to find a way to contact his son. His parents made sure he was placed someplace safe but… that decision haunts him, you know? I see the way he watches kids and I can almost see what he's thinking, wondering where his son is, if he's safe, if he's happy."

"I know how much that whole thing bothers you, Liz, but it'd be good for him if you'd talk to him about it." She wrapped her arm around her friend's shoulders. "You never know, it might be good for you too."

Liz sighed. "I think about it sometimes but I just can't get the words past my throat. It's like, if we talk about it…" she swallowed hard. "I'm scared to bring it up."

Maria nodded. "I can understand that." She and Michael had things still between them that she was reluctant to bring up too.

"Have you guys seen Kyle?" Isabel asked as she joined them at the window. She squinted against the quickly fading light, trying to determine if he was out there with the others.

Liz pointed to a figure on the right who was doing his best to stay upright while dodging another shadowy figure. "They found a football somewhere and they've been playing for the past 15 or 20 minutes. Looks like it's Michael, Eddie, and Maggie against Max, Kyle, and Brian. Edward was watching from the sidelines but he just walked up this way…"

"Oooooh," the girls said as one when the lights on the Christmas trees suddenly came to life, lighting the yard up and giving it a magical glow.

"Isn't that pretty?" Julia asked as she came up behind them. "It's getting dark and cold out there and I think it's time for them to come inside. Besides, it's just about dinnertime and I know you girls are ready for a break and you'd like some time alone with your guys." They had talked about it earlier and the girls had admitted to needing a little downtime. She reached out and handed each of them a small package of cookies. "To take home to share with your guys."

The girls gathered up the costumes and said their goodnights before bundling up in their winter gear and heading outside to collect the guys. Julia came out behind them to stand next to Edward on the porch, calling the kids to say their goodnights and come up to the house. The boys complied after several moments of complaining and Maggie ran over to Michael, looking up at him as she smiled brightly.

"Are you going back to your cabin now?" she asked.

He dropped to his haunches again and nodded. "Yeah, sometimes Maria likes to spend some time alone with me too."

"Of course she does, silly. It's 'cause she loves you." She giggled and threw herself into his arms, hugging him tightly. "Thanks for helping and bringing Santa to the lake this year, Michael," she murmured and kissed his cheek.

"Yeah," he mumbled. "Thanks, ya know, for helpin' me out here today."

She smiled up at him as she stood back and her eyes followed his hands when he patted the front of his coat, trying to find Miss Cindy. She laughed when he unzipped his coat and pulled the little polar bear out and she hugged the stuffed animal close. "She's all warm." She held the bear up to her ear. "She says thank you for keepin' her warm all day."

He reached out and tweaked the bear's nose. "She's welcome."

"G'night, Captain Michael." She smiled. "I'll see ya tomorrow."

He nodded. "G'night, Princess Maggie."

Maria smiled and said her goodnights and goodbyes as she passed the little girl and she looked up at Michael when he straightened up to stand before her. "You've had a busy day, Spaceboy."

He shrugged and motioned to the trees around them. "Not bad, huh?"

"No, not bad at all," she mused with a smile. "You and Maggie make a pretty good team. I noticed you even had Max out here helping you earlier." She stretched up on her tiptoes to kiss him. "They're beautiful."

He shrugged. "Yeah, they're not bad." He looked at the other couples, already starting to walk down the driveway. "What about dinner?"

Maria smiled and shook her head at him. "We thought it'd be nice to take a night off and have dinner at the cabins. Just spend some time together one on one."

"One on one, huh?" he smirked. "I like the sound of that."

She chuckled and snuggled into his side when he wrapped his arm around her and they started to follow the others at a more sedate pace. "You looked like you were having fun out here today." She patted his stomach. "I love watching you when you're with Maggie." She bit her bottom lip for a moment. "Could you see this for us one day?"

His footsteps slowed and he considered her unexpected question for a few moments before he nodded. "One day maybe." He thought back to their recent conversation about their pregnancy scare a few months back. "Yeah, I'd like that."

"We'd have beautiful children."

"We'd have troublemakers," he corrected. "But," he looked down at her and smiled, "our kids will be good looking." He kissed her temple and smiled. "No doubt about that."

Maria smiled and leaned her head against his shoulder. She wondered if he'd noticed his slip when he'd spoken of their future children as if it was a matter of when and not if. No matter, she wasn't about to draw his attention to it. Even with things to be settled between them, it was moments like this that gave her hope.


	38. Chapter 38

**Part 38**

Michael sighed as he settled into one of the chairs and grabbed the remote, slouching down and flipping the television on. He made the rounds, stopping on all 10 channels and continuing on his way when he reached the ones airing commercials. He wasn't interested in the hunting shows so he jumped right over them. He paused on the weather channel, listening long enough to determine that the possibility of snow was once again in the forecast. _Big shock,_ he thought with a roll of his eyes. His eyebrows lifted in interest when he landed on a hockey game, but it was just highlights of a recent game so he kept going. Around and around he went, momentarily sitting up straighter when he landed on an old episode of Bewitched.

Maria glanced over her shoulder when she heard him let loose with a laugh. She smiled when she saw what he was watching, shaking her head as she went back to washing dishes. He had made dinner so she had volunteered to wash the dishes, something she knew he hated to do. He had a goofy laugh but it was music to her ears and it was the most beautiful things she had ever heard. She finished the dishes and dried her hands, hanging the towel over the dishes in the draining rack to dry it out before walking over to the living area. Michael reached up to take her hand when she came to stand beside him and she smiled when he pulled her down into his lap.

"Today was a good day," she said, holding up a decorated sugar cookie.

He smiled and broke it in half, shoving a bite of the cookie in his mouth. "Not bad if you enjoy freezing your ass off. Which, just for the record, I don't."

"You had fun though." She traced over his features with her forefinger. "You and Maggie and Miss Cindy," she teased lightly.

Michael started to respond to that but someone knocked on the door before he could speak.

"Open it up, Guerin. It's like the friggin' North Pole out here."

He grunted at the sound of Kyle's voice. "I thought we were spendin' the evenin' alone?"

"Maybe he just needs to… I don't know, borrow something."

"You have 10 seconds to get this door open, Michael!"

He nodded when Isabel's voice carried through the door. "Uh-huh, and he needed Isabel to hold his hand to come over an' borrow somethin'?"

"Well, maybe…" she trailed off when she heard the murmured conversation on the other side of the door and realized that they now had four people at their front door. "Okay, I don't recall anything being said about everyone coming over here."

He growled when she shifted, wiggling off of his lap and squeezing into the small space he wasn't occupying. "Guess that means you want me to get the door?"

"It's cold, I'm not gonna stand in front of the open door and get a case of freezer burn."

He kissed her as he stood up, snagging the throw lying over the back of the second chair and shaking it open. He draped it over her before going over to the door and moving the kitchen chair, turning the lock, and opening the door. "Someone call a meeting we're not aware of?"

"Impromptu meetings are your thing, El Capitan," Kyle said as he kicked the snow off of his boots and followed Isabel and Liz inside.

"Well, you're all here and neither of us remembers anything about you bein' here."

Kyle leaned over to take his boots off and carried them over to sit them by the fireplace. "Maria, you decent over there?"

She snorted and peered at him over the edge of the blanket. "Did Michael open the door for you?"

"Hmm, good point. So, Isabel figured we should knock out a few things since we have an evening alone."

"Correction, we _had_ an evening alone," she said with a glare at him. "Now we have a cabin full of people."

"We still have a costume to be fitted," Isabel said, motioning for Max to set the bag he was carrying down on the small dining table.

"Hey, don't look at me," Max grumbled when Michael shot a look at him that came dangerously close to incinerating. "I'm the one she's dressing up as a friggin' elf. Do you see anything close to excitement on my face?" He dropped the bag on the table, careless of the red velvet material springing free from the opening. "No, you don't. And why? Because I don't want to dress up like a stupid friggin' elf. I'm a grown man for God's sake!"

"Okay, Liz, looks like I'm gonna have to give you the same advice I gave Maria just a couple days ago," Kyle said with a grin.

"If you dare impart your advice on me I'm liable to hurt you," Liz hissed at him.

"It was very good advice," he defended himself. "El Capitan's a helluva lot more relaxed than he was prior to my expert advice."

"Sex is not the answer to everything. What kinda Buddhist are you anyway?"

"The kinda Buddhist that doesn't get laid," Michael said, catching just the last of their hushed conversation. "Although in Kyle's defense, sex may not be the answer to everything but it's a good place to start."

"See? Someone who appreciates what I have to say."

The girls all rolled their eyes and Liz grinned as she rid herself of her gear and sat on the arm of Maria's chair, wedging her sock feet under the other girl's thighs. "It's insanely cold out there!" She sniffed the air as she got comfortable and she made a face. "Maria, not to be rude or anything, but what is that smell?"

Maria just grinned and shrugged. "I was kinda in a tuna melt mood."

Isabel watched them as Maria shifted, offering Liz half of her blanket, and feeling a little bit jealous at their closeness. She made a face and wrinkled her nose. Liz was right about one thing. That smell had to go. She turned her head to the side when Kyle started rummaging around in the kitchen and she wandered around until she located the cinnamon scented candles. _They would do,_ she decided as she lit them and then used her powers to enhance the scent, making it stronger and erasing the foul scent of tuna lingering in the air.

"Love the coffee mugs," he remarked, turning the mugs on the counter around. "You guys got hot chocolate?"

"Make yourself at home, Valenti," Michael muttered. "Just leave Tigger and the Bear on the counter. Hot chocolate's in the cabinet over the coffee pot."

"Thanks, I will." He put a pot of water on the stove and pulled down what he needed for hot chocolate. "Iz, you want one?"

"Yeah, thanks." She started pulling the Santa suit out of the sack, shaking it out and laying it across the table.

He dug around, looking for marshmallows while he waited for the water to boil. "So, El Capitan, looks like you're up for your fitting." He turned to grin at Michael as he pulled mugs down from the cabinet and set them out.

"Yeah, let's stand around and discuss how that's not gonna happen," Michael muttered acerbically.

"Look, I'm too short to pull off the Claus," he pointed out reasonably. "Max, well, the guy's gonna be an oversized elf prancing around in green tights, so he can't do it. Besides, if that's your other option, do you really wanna do that?"

Michael glanced back and forth between Max and Kyle before turning to stare at the red velvet coat Isabel was holding out to him. "Gimme that damn thing," he said, snatching it out of her hands and ignoring her triumphant grin. "Fascist," he muttered, not caring that she heard him. He shrugged into the jacket, frowning down at the way that it hung on him. "Oh, yeah, this looks great."

Isabel sighed and looked around the room, smiling when her eyes landed on the bed. "Maria, I need a pillow… or two."

Maria got up to go and grab them while Liz got up to walk over to the others. She bit back a smile when Isabel started buttoning up the coat and Michael smacked her hands away. _This wasn't going to put him in a good mood,_ she thought. And the night had looked so promising. She snatched the pillows up and carried them over to Isabel, wincing at the thunderous look on Michael's face. _Oh, he was not a happy camper._

"Alright, we'll try it with one pillow first," Isabel decided. "Michael can hold the… No, Maria, you hold the pillows against him and Liz, you take this rope and run it around him. It's only temporary; we'll get a belt for later. Right now we just need to see how you're gonna look all jiggly and jolly."

Maria bit her bottom lip at Isabel's words. At this rate he was going to blow within a matter of minutes. She held the pillow against his stomach, pressing the ends against his sides so Liz could reach around with the rope and tie it in place. "I'm sure this won't take that long," she whispered as she looked up at him. Once the pillow was snugged up against him she pulled the jacket around him but before she could button it Isabel started speaking.

"No, no, no, we're gonna need that second pillow. This…" she waved her hand over him, "this isn't jiggly." She lifted her gaze to scan his features. "We'll work on the jolly part later."

Kyle made several trips from the tiny kitchen, bringing the mugs of hot chocolate over and setting them on the table. "Okay, that's Tigger for El Capitan, although there's nothing bouncy about you, my friend. Winnie the Pooh for Maria, which is acceptable since you are a true friend. Piglet for Liz since she's Pooh Bear's best friend and a generally timid creature. Max, there's only one possible mug for you." He grinned and slid the one with the bluish-gray imprint of a donkey on the side. "Eeyore since he's the voice of doom and gloom as well as a good friend to Pooh Bear." He grinned at the two remaining mugs as he picked up one and held it out to Isabel. "Rabbit of course because Rabbit is one of the smartest animals… and because Rabbit gets pissed when Tigger tromps all over his garden." He shot a grin at Michael. "That's you and this Christmas thing, that's the garden, in case it wasn't clear. That just leaves me." He picked up the last mug and smiled to himself. "Owl… easily the wisest of the woodland critters."

Max snorted and leaned back against the sink with his arms crossed over his chest. "Owl, huh? If memory serves he couldn't even spell the word owl."

Kyle just rolled his eyes and took a sip from his mug. "Think you've got your tights in a twist, El Presidente." He leaned one hip against the table and watched Liz secure the pillows to Michael's front and then Maria buttoning up the coat over his jiggly 'belly'.

Isabel ignored them and stared down at the mug Kyle had placed in her hands. She could smell the extra chocolate, see the extra marshmallows piled into the mug and drizzled with chocolate. Her eyes filled at the realization that he had remembered her telling him the way her dad had always made her hot chocolate.

"Say, do you guys have any games? Cards maybe?"

"Don't you have somethin' to do?" Michael growled. "Update the stupid planner maybe?"

Kyle pretended to consider that for a moment. "Hmm, no, that's already done, but thanks for checkin'."

Michael watched him when he pushed away from the table and wandered around in the kitchen, looking things over.

"Okay, I think we need to see the pants too," Isabel said as she tapped her thumbnail against her bottom lip.

"Then you'd better look in that bag over there," Michael said as he shook his head. "I'm not some little doll you can play dress up with."

Max rubbed his hand over the lower half of his face in an effort to keep from laughing at his friend's disgruntled expression. He'd already been through the humiliation of his fitting and Michael had been only too happy to mock him. "Sucks, doesn't it?"

"This whole thing sucks," he snapped, grabbing the oversized pants and pulling them on over his jeans. He frowned down at himself when the pants came halfway up his calves. "I'm not doin' this," he muttered, shoving them down again.

"Stop!" Isabel insisted, motioning for him to pull them back up. She crouched down in front of him and tugged on the hem of the right leg. "Kyle, we're gonna need more material. I can fix them without it, but we have to make it look like we're doing this normally."

"Okay, I think we can swing that," he said agreeably. "Hey, can I have a cookie?"

Maria looked over her shoulder. "Sure."

"No."

She rolled her eyes at Michael's grumpy response and nodded at Kyle, mouthing a 'go ahead' before turning back to the fitting. "Michael, I really don't think it's all that bad."

"I don't see you dressed up like a fool."

"Are you calling Snowflake a fool?" she asked with a pout.

He sighed and shook his head. "No. Look, we've established that this stupid thing's too short, so can we get on with this insanity? I had plans for tonight and havin' all of you crammed in here wasn't part of it."

Max shrugged one shoulder when Michael leveled a glare at him. "Don't look at me. I'm not the one who's making people dress up."

"Max, chill out, girlfriend," Maria said, elbowing him gently. "Dayna said they're not really tights."

"Really? Because that's kinda what they looked and felt like today," he grumbled.

"She said what you'll be wearing is more like the coveralls we've been wearing outside."

Max turned his head to glare at Kyle. "What I was tryin' on today didn't look anything like any kinda coveralls."

"Okay, well, maybe they got the wrong costume earlier today."

"Great, so I was dressed up like a leprechaun for nothing?" His eyes narrowed as he studied Kyle. If that stupid outfit hadn't been what he was wearing for this Christmas nightmare he just knew Kyle had been behind it.

Isabel was watching the others and she could see that Kyle was minutes away from being on the receiving end of trouble from two irritated hybrids. She sipped her drink, tasting the hot sauce laced into the sweet chocolaty goodness. "Kyle, I think this would be the perfect time for you to take a break. You could use some downtime."

Kyle froze, his mug halfway to his mouth, lips pursed to take a drink. He lifted his head, mouth slowly closing as he straightened up from his slouch against the table. "Really?" _A night off? The cabin all to himself for a while?_ He chugged the last of his hot chocolate, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and hurried to wash his mug out and place it in the drying rack.

Michael and Max exchanged a look when Kyle buzzed around the cabin, pulling his gear on in record time. Dressed for the cold temperatures he made his way to the door and turned to look at Isabel.

"What time should I come back to walk you over to our place?" he asked.

Isabel shook her head. "I can get Max or Michael to walk me over." Not that she needed anyone to walk her home, but it would make him feel better.

Kyle watched her for a moment, trying to decide if she would actually have one of the guys walk her over to their place. "Okay, I guess I don't need to leave the door unlocked or wait up for you?"

She snorted to hide the smile. "No, I've got my own key," she said, holding her hand up. "And it could be a while, so… enjoy your downtime."

"Why's he get a night off?" Michael demanded as soon as the door closed behind Kyle. "He updates your planner and screws around with light bulbs… how can he need a night off?" He glared down at Liz when she pulled the thin rope tight to tie it. "Cut it out!"

"Michael, quit being such a bear," Isabel snapped. "Kyle puts up with your surly personality all day long. The least you could do is give him a break." She shot a glare at her brother. "That goes for both of you. Would it have killed you to help him with that pen today?"

"Did you know that outfit I was wearin' today wasn't that stupid moronic reindeer costume?"

"Reindeer wrangler," she corrected.

"Whatever!"

Isabel walked around Michael, looking his outfit over as she tapped her bottom lip thoughtfully. "You know, Max, he played a prank on you. So what?"

"A prank that the rest of you were in on him with?"

"Why don't you just chill out? Yes, Dayna played along with him, but so what? He's letting off a little bit of steam."

"At my expense."

She rolled her eyes. "Alright, fine, he won't do it again, okay?" She squeezed in between Liz and Maria and poked the pillows filling out the front of Michael's Santa coat. "Hmm, I don't know," she said as she pushed them around, "what do you guys think? Do we need to take the coat in a little bit or maybe just make him… fluffier?"

Michael endured the poking and prodding for all of thirty seconds before he shoved their hands away. "That's it! I'm not doin' this. I want everyone out. Now!" One of the large black buttons flew off of the coat when it didn't give in response to his tugging. He paid no heed to it as it bounced across the floor, jerking the coat off and throwing it on the table.

Maria motioned for the others to give them some space as she reached out and grabbed his hands, stopping his erratic movements as he tried to free himself from the pillows tied to his middle.

"This's bullshit, Maria! We could come under fire here and how am I supposed to do anything with a bunch of pillows strapped to my body?"

She was watching him, trying to pinpoint what had set off his agitation. He had started to relax and he had spent the day with Maggie, decorating and goofing off. He had played football in the snow with the others. They had come back to the cabin and he had made dinner. She reached out to stop the red velvet jacket when it inched toward the edge of the table, pushing it back to the center to keep it from landing on the floor. _Of course,_ she realized. "Michael."

His agitation dropped just a notch when she called his name in that voice that commanded his attention. He just didn't have the words to tell her how much wearing this stupid costume brought back memories that he'd rather not deal with.

"Look, maybe we don't need to do this tonight, okay?" She stroked her thumbs over the insides of his wrists. "Hey," she reached up to cup his stubborn jaw, lifting his chin and meeting his gaze, "we've had no indication they're coming. Liz hasn't had any premonitions…"

"Yeah, and the one she had last time nearly came too late," he bit out.

"Maybe you and Max should hang out for a while, take a break from things." She motioned to the television behind him. "You guys could watch a game or something. Go over to their cabin, relax for a while." She leaned in and brushed her lips against his. "We'll have our night, okay? Just spend some time with Max and unwind a little bit first." She winked at him. "You'll enjoy it more when we're together."

He snorted at that, but after a moment he nodded. "Get me outta this thing." As soon as she smiled and reached around to unknot the rope he looked over at Max. "Hey, Evans, whatcha say we head over to your place and come up with somethin' to give Valenti a little payback?"

"Crisis averted," Maria mumbled ten minutes later when the two of them headed outside.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Kyle stood in the center of the living room and turned in a small circle as he looked around, letting the silence seep into his soul. It had been a long day and his muscles ached. The panels for the reindeer pen had been heavy and Eddie had lost his grip on one of them at one point and it had dropped forward and landed against Kyle's right shoulder. He rolled his shoulder at the memory, wincing at the stiffness he could feel setting in. He hadn't really thought much about it as the afternoon wore on, but after coming inside and thawing out it had made its presence known.

His gaze landed on the sewing machine taking up most of the breakfast table. He should've known when Isabel sent him up to collect the sewing machine that it was gonna be a long day. As soon as Julia had showed the case to him she asked if he needed help with it and he just shook his head and gave her a smile. And he hadn't needed help with it, but 25 pounds could sure get heavy when carrying an awkwardly shaped piece of machinery down the driveway. It couldn't be more than an eighth of a mile, something he could run full out without breaking a sweat. But that didn't account for nearly two feet of snow on the ground or slick, icy patches that seemed to creep up at the most inopportune of times.

He made a face at the sewing machine as he recalled slipping and sliding and nearly dropping it on several occasions. "Hernia in a box," he muttered, slapping his palm against the case as he bypassed it to walk into the kitchen. _Like it was even gonna be used._ He browsed through the cabinets, looking around for the bag of potato chips he had bought the other day. He fisted the air when he found them. "Sour cream and onion." He walked over to the loveseat and flopped down, opening the bag and reaching for the remote at the same time. He muted the television and flipped through the available stations for a few minutes, the quiet crunching of the chips the only sound in the cabin.

His eyes glazed over and he finally dropped the remote and just munched on his chips and stared at the coffee table in front of him. He tipped his head to one side, studying the hinge that he was pretty sure had been crooked just a couple of days ago. _Isabel,_ he decided with a smile. _It had probably driven her nuts until she just couldn't look at it for another minute._ He turned the television off and dropped the remote on the cushion beside him as he dropped his head back against the couch.

_What a day,_ he thought. It had been a long one. A good one, but a long one. He smiled at the memory of chasing Maria around and goofing off with her. All the years they had gone to school together and he never would've suspected that she would turn out to be one of his best friends. His mind wandered over the day and the impromptu football game that had started when Brian had found the ball in the barn. It made him remember Saturday afternoon games in the backyard when he was a kid. He had been ready to call it a night when the girls had come out of the house though. _And Michael and Max thought they were the ones who had it rough?_ He snorted at that. _Let one of them try to keep Isabel happy._

"How do you get yourself into these things?" he asked, his voice loud in the cabin. "Running around hauling sewing machines that'll never get used, putting pens together for friggin' reindeer, and playin' the role of the Christmas Nazi's secretary." He shoved another handful of chips in his mouth and wondered what the others were doing. "Doesn't matter," he mumbled, spraying chip crumbs over the front of his shirt. He sat up and brushed them away. "You've got the place all to yourself and you're sittin' here talkin' to yourself. Get up and take advantage of it, Valenti."

He nodded to himself and got up to put the chips away, pulling out the little portable radio he had found in one of the cabinets. He plugged it in and turned it on, finding a suitable station and cranking the volume up before going into the bathroom and turning the shower on. _An actual hot shower,_ he mused. He loved Isabel to death, but the girl tended to use up the majority of the hot water and he didn't terribly enjoy cold showers. He was taking advantage of having a little bit of time to himself.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Max slouched down on one end of the couch, staring at the television without seeing it. The volume was turned up well beyond what was necessary for them to hear the game but he barely heard it. He didn't care for his assigned job for this Christmas thing. He didn't want to spend his time around kids, being reminded of what he had lost. It was difficult enough to keep that under control without the constant reminder, but this would put him in constant contact with kids. _What kid was gonna just ignore the opportunity to check out a live reindeer?_ Every day he walked a fine line, trying to balance his emotions over the loss of his son with his feelings for Liz. A lot of that had to do with pushing so much of it to the back of his mind. That was going to be hard to do when those memories were being brought to the surface every time he turned around. His attention was pulled away when Michael suddenly sat forward, energetically gesturing as he yelled at the television.

Michael slapped his thigh when all of his yelling and cursing at the referee did nothing to change his mind about his call. "What a moron," he muttered, slumping back on the couch. "Can you believe that call?" He rolled his eyes when he glanced at Max and realized he wasn't paying any attention to the game. "You're not even watchin' the game." His tone was lightly accusing, tempered only because he could see that his friend had something on his mind.

Max shrugged and focused his gaze on the television. "Hockey's not really my game." He snorted and motioned to Michael's face. "Doesn't really look like it's your game either."

"I didn't do that bad," he defended himself and turned his eyes back to the game. "Would've felt better if I hadn't slid across the ice on my face at one point, but you live and learn."

"And that lesson would be…?"

"Always wear a face mask." He motioned to the screen. "Now see? That right there was a sweet shot."

Max went back to staring when Michael started arguing with the television as if the players could hear him. His stare was broken when the camera panned past a little girl holding a stuffed animal and he glanced at Michael, thinking over the past few days and how easily he seemed to have adapted to being around the little girl.

"What do you think when you look at Maggie?"

_The future,_ he thought, but didn't say. "I don't know," he grunted, his eyes scanning across the screen as he followed the puck. "No!" he roared when a player on the opposing team took possession of the puck.

The action on the ice was frenzied but it was all lost on Max as his mind wandered back over every time he'd seen Michael with the little girl. He had never imagined seeing his best friend walk around with a stuffed animal tucked in his jacket, making a pinky swear, or sharing Santa secrets with a little girl. He had eased into the role with seemingly little effort and somehow it suited him.

It barely registered when Michael suddenly shot to his feet, fisted hands high in the air as he shouted triumphantly when his team scored. "Hey, Michael, do you ever, ya know, think about having kids with Maria?"

Every sound in the room narrowed down to the last four words to come out of Max's mouth and Michael slowly turned his head to look at him. "You're the second person to ask me that tonight," he said, shaking his head as his arms slowly dropped back to his sides. "What is up with everybody?"

"I've been watching you with Maggie. You've just got a way with her. You're so open with her."

He narrowed his eyes. "Is this about to turn into one of those chick conversations that we both know I don't like to have?"

Max sighed and dropped his head back against the couch to stare up at the ceiling. "You must've thought about it before. Having kids with Maria, what it would be like…"

Michael growled under his breath. He wasn't interested in having this conversation right now. Time to turn it around. "What's goin' on with you, Maxwell?"

"You ever wonder how things would've turned out if you'd made a different decision? Taken a different path?"

He turned back to the television. "No."

Max shrugged, not bothering to call him on what was obviously a lie. "Sometimes… all the time really, I wonder how things would've been different if I'd been able to keep Zan. I wonder if making the decision to keep him would've meant Liz and I wouldn't be together now. That whole thing with Tess, I don't know if we could've gotten past that if she'd had to look at him every day."

_And here we go,_ Michael thought, watching the two teams battle for possession of the puck. He was only listening to Max with half an ear, focusing on the game rather than most of what was being said.

"I don't know what to do, Michael. I feel like I'm stuck in the middle. I miss my son but I don't want to hurt Liz."

Michael sat back and looked over at him. "You know the answer, Maxwell."

Max's eyes shot to his friend, confused. "You've been spending too much time around Kyle," he muttered, glaring at him when his gaze went right back to the television. "You wanna share just what you think that answer is?"

"No!" Michael yelled as he jumped up and went off on the players again.

"Michael?"

He turned to look at Max again. "What?"

Max finally reached over and snatched up the remote, viciously stabbing the mute button. Silence fell over the cabin and he ignored the look of irritation on his companion's face. "This's serious, Michael."

He dropped back down onto the couch again, sighing deeply as he rubbed his face with both hands. "Look, all you've gotta do is talk to her about it. She'll understand. She's Liz and you two have that whole interstellar soulmate connection goin' for you." He shook his head. "And while I might not be the expert on relationships, you two aren't past that whole Tess thing. If you were you could talk to her openly about Zan."

"Yeah? Well… What do you know anyway?"

Michael shrugged. "My point exactly. Let's just watch the game and leave the talkin' to the girls."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Well, that went over well, don'tcha think?" Liz asked as she looked at the abandoned Santa suit lying on the table.

Maria just rolled her eyes and snorted. "The night wasn't supposed to end like this. Michael was doing so well when he was with Maggie."

Liz chewed on the inside of her cheek. "He's so good with her."

A face-splitting grin appeared on Maria's face. "He is, isn't he? We actually talked about what our kids would be like one day. Well, he didn't bring it up or anything. I asked him if he could see us with kids someday. He surprised me when he said he thought he could see that for us one day."

Liz smiled at her friend. "Oh, Maria, that's wonderful! I'm so happy for you."

"Why does that surprise you?" Isabel asked absentmindedly as she straightened the pants to the Santa suit and ran her palm over the material to extend the hemline. "Michael spent his whole life searching for home only to find it right here with you. That man's home is wherever you are. When we had the chance to leave earth, he's the one who walked away from it…" she trailed off when she glanced up and saw the look on Maria's face, realizing that she was unintentionally picking at old wounds.

"And then I turned around and walked away from him," Maria said quietly. "That's what you're thinking, right?"

"What? No!"

Liz chewed on her bottom lip as she glanced up at Isabel. "Did Max… did he hesitate when you guys were getting ready to leave?"

Isabel swallowed hard. This was not a conversation she was prepared to have. "Why would he hesitate at that point? You were pushing him away, pushing him at Tess. He never had any interest in destiny but he was so confused and he had no idea which direction he was going in. And Tess used that to her advantage. Do you really think she didn't know that his heart wasn't hers? She knew you were a threat, you would always be a threat, and it escalated her efforts to translate that stupid destiny book."

Maria got up and held her hands up between Isabel and Liz. "Okay, let's cool it before one of us says something that can't be taken back."

_Too late,_ Isabel thought. "No need to bother." She quickly folded the Santa suit up and pulled her coat on. "I'm leaving now." She hadn't meant to say that, hadn't known she was even thinking it, but now it was out there and she couldn't take it back. _Why had Liz had to ask that question?_

"Isabel, you don't have to – "

She waved off Maria's attempt to get her to stay. "No, I need to work on these costumes. I'll just see you tomorrow." She made her escape before either of them could say another word.

"You know she didn't mean it, Liz."

"Yes, she did. She might not have intended to say it, but she meant it. She blames me for Alex's death. And if I hadn't pushed Max at Tess maybe she wouldn't – "

"No, don't even say it!"

Liz forced a smile. "Let's go back to talking about Michael and your future children," she said, her eyes silently begging Maria to drop it.

Maria sighed and sat down on the bed, patting the mattress next to her. It wasn't the right time to pursue that subject so she respected Liz's request. She thought back to his answer and smiled at his response to her comment about their children being beautiful. "It gave me hope, Liz," she said when her friend sat down beside her.

"For the future?" Liz asked.

"Well, kinda. Hope that one day he'll be able to trust me like he used to. I know we're gonna have to really talk to each other about what happened in the past if we're gonna make this work." She paused and picked at a loose thread on the quilt before looking up at Liz. "Speaking of talking, I've never seen Max get so worked up like he was early about his elf costume. And what is with his attitude towards Kyle?"

Liz just stared at her hands, unwilling and unable to talk about it.

Maria reached over and took her hands. "Listen to me, Chica. I love you and I know you, and Max, well, Max is my girlfriend too," she said, giving a little laugh as she tried to lighten what she was trying to say. "Liz, you've gotta talk to Max about your feelings where Zan's concerned."

Liz gave her a knowing look as she nodded reassuringly, although she wasn't certain which of them she was trying to reassure. "I know, you're right, and it's just…" she reached up to brush away an escaping tear, "God, it's just so hard to put it into words and I don't want to hurt him. Once I let it out I won't be able to take it back." She fought to hold her emotions in. "I can see his loss and I can see how it affects him." She shook her head. "I just don't want to make it worse for him."

Maria pulled her into a tight hug and sighed. "Liz, sweetie, if you two don't talk soon, it's only gonna get worse." Her conscience chose that moment to put its two cents in. _And you'd do well to take your own advice._


	39. Chapter 39

**Part 39**

Isabel walked through the snow, blinking rapidly to clear her blurry vision and wishing she could take the words back. She knew it was too late for that though. She had practically accused Liz of being at fault for Alex's death.

"She wasn't you know."

She paused, taking in a deep breath and turning to look at Alex when he appeared beside her. "I don't know that. Maybe she wasn't directly responsible – "

He shook his head, silencing her. "She's not any more responsible for my death than you are. It happened, and yeah, it sucks, but the responsibility rests solely on one person's shoulders. That person isn't you and it isn't Liz." He smiled when he recognized the stubborn look on her face. He turned to nod at the cabin ahead of them, his expression thoughtful. "Go talk to Kyle about it; see what he has to say."

"There's no reason to bother Kyle with this," she denied. "Besides, I sent him to the cabin to give him a break from everyone and everything for a little while."

"Concerned about him?" he asked with a teasing smile.

"He's my friend; of course I'm concerned about him." She started walking again and she knew without looking that he was right beside her. "I'm not talking to him about this. It's not worth bringing up."

He nodded and smiled. "Okay. I suppose I should leave you alone to handle the noise level in your cabin. Sounds like your roommate's enjoying his time off."

"Um-hmm."

Her response was noncommittal and it made him chuckle. She wasn't in the mood for the loud music but he had a feeling that would be the least of her concerns once she entered the cabin. "I'm gonna take off. Let you decide whether to talk to Kyle or not." And she would, he already knew it.

She paused at the door. "You won't go far." It was a statement.

"I'll be around if you need me, Isabel."

She smiled slightly and ran her hand over the door, reaching for the knob and turning it when she heard the tumbler in the locking mechanism turn. She pushed the door in and winced at the decibel of the music coming out of the small radio. It wasn't the volume so much as his choice of music. She shut the door and dumped her things on the loveseat before going over to silence the wretched noise assaulting her auditory senses. Blessed silence fell over the cabin as she flipped the power switch and she couldn't stop the grin when Kyle's voice carried through the room as he continued to sing. It stopped a moment later and she heard his feet slapping against the floor as he went in search of whatever had stopped the music. She yanked the cord out of the wall and leaned back against the kitchen counter, twirling the cord in a circle as she waited for him, trying not to laugh as he muttered and grumbled about faulty radios and wiring. The smile slipped when he entered her field of vision wearing nothing but a pair of plaid boxers.

Kyle stopped mid-stride when he realized that the radio had stopped working due to hybrid interruption and not a short in the wiring. She arched one perfect eyebrow as her gaze moved over him and he shot a glance down at himself, clearing his throat as he backtracked to grab a pair of jeans and pull them on. Great, what was with his habit of running into blonde hybrids wearing nothing but his underwear? At least Isabel wasn't the type to snap his waistband, it just wasn't her style. He closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath as he zipped up, slamming the door on those thoughts. The last thing he wanted to do was open up that train of thought because it had a tendency to run him over.

In the kitchen Isabel was busying herself with getting out of her winter gear and focusing on anything to keep her mind off of that brief encounter with Kyle. It wasn't the first time they had run into each other that way; six months on the run in close quarters had taken away boundaries that would otherwise be in place. But it was the first time it had happened since they had been alone. The first time she had ever really felt something she had never expected to feel around Kyle. _It was just the loneliness,_ she decided, not looking up when he came back into the room.

"So, you're back earlier than I expected," he said, clearing his throat.

She shrugged and pulled the Santa suit jacket out of the bag. "Really wasn't much reason to stay."

He watched her for a moment. "What happened?"

"I didn't say anything happened." She stared at the threads sticking out at odd angles where Michael had ripped the button off. She sighed and shook her head. "I just don't have anything in common with them."

Kyle tipped his head to the side as he watched her. "Isabel…"

"I'm serious, Kyle. We have nothing but being on the run in common."

"What happened over there?"

"I didn't say…" she trailed off at his knowing look. "Things got said that just… shouldn't have been said."

He nudged her out of the way to get to the coffee pot, busying himself with making coffee. "Uh-huh, what'd you say?" he asked.

"Why do you assume I'm the one who said it?"

"Why're you avoiding the question?" he countered.

"Talk to him," Alex insisted.

"No," she hissed, the sound nearly inaudible.

"I could get him to bring up that little moment earlier," he warned with a teasing glint in his gray eyes.

Isabel glared at Alex as she gave a sharp shake of her head.

Kyle hid his smile when he heard her mutter under her breath, the words unintelligible. "I know the girls are close and that's gotta be kinda intimidating, but you can't just say you don't have anything in common with them. You have more than just bein' on the run in common."

"I managed to remind Maria that she left Michael after he stayed on earth for her and then I accused Liz of being responsible for Alex's death."

"Sounds like you had a busy night considering how short it was." He pulled the package of cookies down and opened it up, shoving one in his mouth before turning to look at her. "Okay, well, it's unlikely that Maria's forgotten what she did, but considering how many times he dumped her prior to his decision to stay I think there's fault on both sides there. And second, the Liz thing… Isabel, you can't hold her responsible for that." He shook his head at her. "You can't hold yourself at fault either."

"I'm the one who let Tess into our lives in the first place."

"Yeah, and if memory serves she was using that mindwarp crap on you. For all we know she was usin' that damn thing from the very beginning." He set the cookies on the table and poured a couple cups of coffee before carrying them over to the table and sitting down. He motioned for her to join him and he went on without waiting to see if she would. "Isabel, we've all made mistakes here. Tess was gonna go after Max no matter what. It didn't matter whether you were the one who let her in or not. How long did she hang out with you before she went after him? He was her target probably before she and Nacedo ever set foot in Roswell. Remember that box of pictures Liz found in their house? They hadn't been in town that long and from what Liz said it wasn't just a few pictures. Remember the camera that was found in Michael's apartment? They were probably watching him for weeks before we knew about it."

"I'm not really getting your point," she said as she sat down across from him.

"Look, she was using that mindwarp on Max not long after meeting him and we know she used it on you and Michael."

"Me and Michael?"

"That dream you guys had? The pregnancy scare? Think about it, Isabel. You and Michael have always had a brother/sister relationship so why out of nowhere would you suddenly start having dreams like that about each other? Don't you think it was pretty coincidental that they started not long after she arrived? If they were so important to your so-called destinies then why haven't you guys had them since then?"

She wondered absently if it was Liz or Maria that had shared that little gem of information because he hadn't been part of the group when that had happened. "That would mean she was able to dreamwalk and as far as we know that ability was limited to me. How else could she have done that to the both of us at the same time?"

"Okay, so maybe what she did wasn't dreamwalking, but she had to be manipulating you guys in some way. But she obviously had the ability to manipulate more than one person at once and they didn't have to be in close proximity for her to do it. Liz told me about Tess making the agents at my house and in town see Pierce at the same time so we know she was damn good at what she could do. Her intention was to drive a wedge between the hybrids and the humans and when that didn't work she upped the stakes." He munched on a cookie thoughtfully. "How could Liz have been responsible for Alex's death?"

"She kept pushing Max at Tess."

Kyle leaned back, arms crossed over his chest as he considered what she had said. "Yeah," he said finally, "she did, and I don't know why she did that. I guess she was doing what she thought was right at the time, but it wasn't easy for her to do. And she has to live with her actions, but the fact of the matter is Max was more than capable of making his own decisions." He took a drink of his coffee. "Your brother had a lot on him, I'll give him that much and I know Liz pushin' him at Tess just added to that, but it all comes down to his choice to pursue things with Tess. No one made him do that."

Isabel bit her bottom lip and toyed with the coffee mug in front of her. "You're right." Her fingernail traced over a crack in the ceramic. "Tess knew Max would never really be hers though." She rolled her eyes. "She could've never had what they had and she knew that."

"Okay… so?"

"So maybe that's why she went after Alex and made him translate that book."

"Or maybe she would've gone after him anyway, Isabel. Alex was by far the smartest in our group when it came to computers. Tess could've used that mindwarp on Liz to get her to break up with Max… we'll never know. But whatever happened, the only person at fault for what happened to Alex is Tess. It took a long time before I could get past the fact that I'm the one who carried his body out to the car. I have no way of knowin' if he'd still be alive today if I'd been able to resist that damned mindwarp."

She shook her head. "What Tess did to him – "

"That's right," he interrupted, "what _Tess_ did to him. Liz pushed Max at Tess but that doesn't put her at fault for his death. You're the one who was nice to her at the beginning when you thought she was just the new girl but that doesn't put you at fault. I carried his body and put it in the car but that doesn't put me at fault. She had her chance to be part of our group, she and I were getting closer, and the next thing I know its Prom night and for some reason I'm suddenly feeling resistant about getting close to her. And to top it off, when we're at Prom I go off on that ass Malamoot for sayin' somethin' he had no business sayin'… about my sister! You wanna talk about a mind-fuck." He shook his head. "She was playin' all of us and she had the ability to screw with our heads, so what happened to Alex isn't on us."

"Told you," Alex muttered as he leaned over her shoulder.

Kyle looked at her when she waved her right hand through the air. "What? I'm making some very valid points here."

Isabel frowned at her hand, realizing that she had tried to wave off Alex's 'told you so'. "Oh, um, nothing. And yeah, your points are valid." She made a face at Alex when he walked around the room to stand behind Kyle.

"Why're you makin' faces at me now?"

"I'm not."

He snorted. "I beg to differ."

"Just thinking that maybe I owe Liz an apology."

"Maybe?"

She cringed when Kyle and Alex said the same thing at the same time. That's all she needed was for the two of them to gang up on her. "I'll think about it. I'm gonna go take a shower and then I think I'll go to bed."

Kyle slouched down in his chair and looked at the space around him when he heard the water come on in the shower. "I sure hope you're doin' your best to convince her she's not at fault, Whitman," he grumbled. "Yeah, I know you're around here somewhere. I think the least you could do is make yourself visible to me since I'm aware that she talks to you… and I don't think she's gone crazy so that means she sees you." He rolled his eyes and got up to get another cup of coffee when Alex didn't appear. "That's cold, Whitman."

He stared at his reflection in the toaster and he sighed heavily as his conversation with Isabel pried open the door on his memories and one of them slipped out. He rested his elbows on the counter and against his will he was sitting in his kitchen back home with Dad and Amy… and Tess.

"_Is that three-cheese potato gratin?" he asked._

_Tess smiled and nodded. "With bacon on the bottom. Your favorite."_

_He had encouraged Amy to continue with her story as he excused himself to go after Tess, standing next to her and watching Dad smile and laugh. He glanced at her and then nodded at the main dish. "So, you need me to carve that?"_

"_I got it, thanks," she said as she held her hand over it and sliced the turkey without ever actually touching it._

"_Well, so this… this's really, uh… this's really…"_

It had been the first time since Mom left when he was little that they'd had a Christmas like that. Kyle squeezed his eyes shut at the memory, angrily swiping away the single tear that had the audacity to escape.

"Stop this, Valenti," Alex insisted. He hated to see them suffering like this. He hated that Tess had been able to inflict so much damage on all of them. "Put that memory away and focus on something else."

_No,_ Kyle thought. _You don't get that from me, Tess._

Alex watched him, knowing that his conversation with Isabel had dredged up old memories that he'd rather leave buried. He glanced around the cabin, looking for something to distract the man he had become friends with before his death. An unlikely friendship for sure, but it had been a friendship all the same. "Haven't you ever wondered just what all the hype is about bein' the guy in the Santa suit?"

Kyle wandered over to the loveseat where Isabel had draped the jacket for the Santa suit and he held it up, staring at it for a moment before slipping it on. He looked down at himself and snorted. "Yeah, there's no way you could pay me enough to walk around in public in this getup."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Max took Liz's hand as they stepped out into the cold night, leaving the warmth of Michael and Maria's cabin. He had walked back with Michael after the game ended because he didn't want Liz walking to their cabin alone. She and Maria had been talking when they got there, their expressions serious, and he had felt the hint of tension in the air.

"Michael seemed to be in a better mood," she spoke up finally.

He shrugged. "He just wasn't that thrilled about being packed in that Santa suit and then stuffed like a Christmas turkey."

She laughed quietly at that image. "He did look pretty ridiculous with pillows tied to him so Isabel could make him fat enough to look like Santa."

Max started laughing at the memory. "I was sure he was gonna burst as soon as she started poking him and wondering if he needed to be fluffier. Somehow Michael and fluffy just don't go together. Although I think it actually made my fitting seem a little less ridiculous." He squeezed her hand and cleared his throat. "Um, about my attitude over my costume earlier…" he released her to run his hand over the locking mechanism on their front door, pushing it open so she could enter ahead of him.

"Yeah, Grumpy seems to fit," she said, finishing his sentence. "Pardon the pun," she teased.

"I'm pretty sure elves and dwarves are two separate entities," he said, shooting a glare at her.

"Could've fooled me, Grumpy."

Max stared at her as he leaned back against the closed door, struck once again at just how effortlessly Liz managed to put him at ease when he felt so tongue-tied. As he watched her Michael's advice started running through his head. _"Just talk to her, Max."_

Liz looked at the mantel above the fireplace, thinking how much she wished she could just curl up on the loveseat and lose herself in her journal. At one time that was how she had dealt with her emotions, but now she just couldn't bring herself to put pen to paper in that manner. She sighed and walked through the cabin to the bathroom, her gaze wandering over the two-person tub and thinking about the way Maria would attempt to soak her problems away. _It was worth a shot,_ she thought, trying to keep her thoughts from drifting back to Isabel's words.

Max followed her and opened his mouth to say something that was immediately lost at the sight of her undressing in front of him. He watched her pull the soft beige sweater over her head, leaving her in a satin chemise over her black bra. He came up behind her, his hands covering hers when they reached for the hem and stilling her movements. His eyes met hers when she turned at his slight urging and his right hand moved to settle against her neck, his thumb stroking over her cheek.

He pulled her close, his lips brushing against her ear as he spoke. "I loved you from the first time I saw you in that little cupcake dress. I've always loved you, Liz. It's why I couldn't let you go that day in the Crashdown. I didn't care what happened to me, Isabel, or Michael that day; all I knew was I couldn't be without you."

Liz sighed, exhausted from everything that had happened that day. "Max…"

He hushed her by pressing his thumb against her lips and shaking his head. "Let me get this out, okay? I made a mistake when I followed Tess. I should've never let you go on the dance floor on Prom night. I didn't want to do it… but I did."

Liz pulled away from him and shook her head. "We weren't together, Max."

Max caught her arm before she could move away, pulling her back toward him. "It doesn't matter whether we were together officially or not, Liz. We've always been together and we always will be. What I'm trying so poorly to say here is that I made the wrong choice. Like you said recently, everything's a choice, and that wasn't the right one. Matter of fact, so many of them were just…"

Her vision began to blur as his words overwhelmed her. That moment on the dance floor came back to her so clearly that it nearly felt like they were standing there again. "Max, don't," she whispered, silencing him. Her own thoughts were riddled with guilt and she wasn't sure she could deal with his guilt at the same time. She took his hand, pulling him with her as she moved to the tub to start the water.

Max could see the exhaustion in her features, could feel it in her body. He sat on the edge of the tub and pulled her to stand between his knees as his hands went to the hem of the chemise and eased it up and off of her body. "Did somethin' happen while me and Michael were gone?" he asked, his hands skimming over her sides and raising gooseflesh on her skin.

"Nothing I feel like talking about right now," she said, running her fingertips over his face.

He nodded, accepting her words at face value and not pushing her to talk. He knew they needed to talk and he knew they needed to do it soon. The past with all of its guilt, mistakes, and regrets was only building up with every passing day and if they didn't talk about it soon things were only going to get worse between them. "Soon," he said quietly, leaning forward to kiss her gently. "We'll talk about it soon."

She met his gaze and nodded. "Soon," she agreed, her body settling against his when his arms came around her to hold her tightly. She sighed when his hands moved over her back, smiling against his shoulder when his nimble fingers released the catch on her bra.

He leaned back and turned the faucet off before reaching up to slip the straps from her shoulders, his touch soothing. "Whatcha say we get you into a hot bath and work some of the tension outta those muscles, Mrs. Evans?" he murmured as his eyes traced over the goosebumps on her arms.

She sighed and straightened up, her fingers going to the buttons on his shirt. "Join me?"

He caught her hands when she released the last button, bringing them up to press a kiss to her knuckles. He stood and rid her of the last of her clothes, helping her into the bathtub before stripping out of his own clothes and slipping in behind her. His arms came around her and he pulled her back against his chest, holding her close and pressing soft kisses to her neck. He smiled when her head dropped back to rest on his shoulder and he kissed her temple before sighing contentedly. No, this wasn't solving anything, but maybe, just maybe acknowledging aloud that they had some problems that needed to be worked out was a place to start.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Michael grabbed the remote and settled into 'his' chair, sighing as he slouched down and turned the television on. His thumb punched the + on the channel button repeatedly, his eyes staring at the screen without paying much attention to it. _Right back where I started this evening, _he thought with a frown. He dropped the remote on the end table, wincing when it made a sharp sound as it connected with the base of the lamp. He toed his socks off and wiggled his toes once they were free from the oppressive confines of the heavy winter socks. He stretched his long legs out and crossed his feet at the ankles, immediately feeling the heat from the flames dancing in the fireplace.

He propped his elbow on the arm of the chair and rested his chin in his hand, absentmindedly running his finger over the marks left behind from his hockey game with the boys. He slouched down further, the overstuffed chair comfortably cradling his body. He dropped his head back to rest against the chair as he picked the remote up again, idly turning it over and over. He let his head roll to one side to catch a glimpse of Maggie's picture for Santa, proudly displayed on the door of the little refrigerator.

He released a small snort at the memory of decorating the yard earlier with Maggie and Miss Cindy Bear. He rolled his eyes at that. The stupid thing had gone from being nothing more than a stuffed toy to having a name that he actually remembered. He thought back to that moment when they had been walking back to the cabin and Maria had been teasing him about his day with Maggie. Their connection had felt strong, as if it had never been severed by her in the past, and he had wanted her.

They had gone back to the cabin, he had made dinner, and she had handled the kitchen afterwards while he had kicked back in front of the television for a bit. When she had finished she had joined him, squeezing into the chair beside him instead of taking the other chair. The tone for the night had been set; they had both been relaxed and taking their cues from each other. For a moment he had experienced the feeling of the two of them together in their own home. It was a dangerous place to let his thoughts go but in spite of knowing that he had done nothing to quell them. He tapped the remote against the arm of the chair as he frowned at the memory of the knock that had disrupted everything.

_Leave it to Valenti the Merry Assistant to the Christmas Nazi to mess it up,_ he grumbled internally. He could feel that familiar tightening in his chest at the memory of that last Christmas without her. That stupid fat elf suit had just ruined everything. Putting it on had flipped some invisible switch inside of him, throwing that last Christmas into focus and ruining his good mood. All he had been able to see was him wearing one just like it in an attempt to get closer to Maria. The old pain began to take a grip on his chest as he tried to avoid last Christmas without her. He had been at the end of his rope. He had even stooped so low as to beg Isabel to let him be Santa just so he could be next to Maria. And what had happened? Oh, yeah, that's right, she turned you down and offered you hot chocolate and company on the cold front porch. And while it wasn't nearly enough, he had grabbed onto whatever she had been willing to give him. She was that essential to his existence.

Against his will his thoughts went to Billy and he had to force his grip to relax when he heard the creak of protest emitted by the remote. He sighed as he remembered all of the times he had broken up with her. He could call it whatever he wanted: walking away to keep her safe, walking away because he loved her too much, walking away because he had to discover where he was from, or walking away because he was a soldier and he had a job to do. No matter the reason, it all boiled down to walking away and leaving her behind. Unbidden, the memory of Maria's expression the night she had caught him with Courtney came to mind, making him wince. _Uh-uh, not going there. _ He shoved those thoughts as far down as he could, not willing to open up that particular can of worms.

His thumb stroked over the remote for a moment and he started pressing the + button, forcing his mind to focus on what he was seeing on the screen. He stopped on a local channel where the weatherperson was rattling off the forecast of more snow. "Yeah, there's a shock," he muttered. He frowned when the news went to a commercial break and for just a moment the screen went black… and he could see a reflection of that damned Santa suit lying on the breakfast table. He just didn't have the words to tell her how much wearing that stupid costume brought back memories he'd rather not deal with.

He turned his head when the sound of water lapping against the edges of the tub caught his attention. His fingers moved to the scrapes on his face as he recalled Maria's earlier words to him.

"_Look, maybe we don't need to do this tonight, okay?" She stroked her thumbs over the insides of his wrists. "Hey," she reached up to cup his stubborn jaw, lifting his chin and meeting his gaze, "we've had no indication they're coming. Liz hasn't had any premonitions…"_

She had calmed him without calling him out on his outburst. She knew what was really bothering him. He could see it. She had given him an out and let it go with a few words and a kiss. His body had reacted to the feel of her lips against his. He closed his eyes as he remembered her words.

"_We'll have our night, okay? _

He smirked at the thought of her sending him to hang out with Max. He made a face when the pad of his thumb caught on one of the scratches on his face. Instead of watching the game Max had decided to talk. And not just any talk, no, they had to have one of _those_ talks. The kind that was a hell of a lot more suited to chicks.

"_What do you think when you look at Maggie?"_

And his silent answer.

_The future._ And it was true. Maria would always be his future and while he wasn't the kind of guy who just put his thoughts and feelings out on display, he wanted a family with her. He muted the television and closed his eyes, focusing his senses on her. The heat emanating from the fireplace was hot, making his skin itch and making him uncomfortable. As the minutes slowly ticked by he could feel the familiar pull of awareness, the need to be near her. The need to be with her. He switched the television off and stood up, shooting a quick glance at the front door and making sure the chair he had wedged up under the knob as soon as he had gotten back was still in place.

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Maria could feel him standing there before she turned her head and looked up to see him. He was in the doorway, his body taking up the frame and his presence seeming to fill up the room. His big hands were hanging at his sides, half-clenched as his hungry gaze locked on her. He was bare from the waist up and she felt a rush of desire as her eyes moved over him. She saw the flash of recognition when their eyes met and he was on the move as soon as his name escaped her lips.

She rose to meet him and his eyes never left her as he snatched up a towel, his long strides quickly eating up the distance between them. She reached for him as he wrapped the towel around her and he lifted her over the rim of the tub. She took pleasure in the feel of his warm naked chest against her wet skin and there was something primitive about the smoky scent of the fireplace clinging to his long hair.

Her legs locked around him and their mouths fused together as he backed out of the bathroom, one hand out in front of him to guide him. He made his way over to fireplace, stripping the towel from her and spreading it out on the floor before laying her down. She fumbled for the button at the top of his jeans, popping it open and slipping her hand inside to explore the heated skin along the inside of his hip.

He groaned into her mouth and grabbed her wrist to stop her from doing him in. He laced his fingers through hers and raised their joined hands over her head as he continued to kiss her. His mouth left hers, moving down so his tongue could play in the hollow of her throat while he inhaled her scent. He was panting as he pulled back and his dark eyes pierced hers as he stared at her for several long moments.

He rolled to the side to remove his jeans and boxers, his hand searching the front pocket of his hastily discarded jeans for the little foil packet. He looked up when Maria came up on her elbow and reached out to take it from him. Her body brushed against his teasingly as she kissed him slowly.

"Mmm, dinner, and now this."

He cocked his head to one side, his expression quizzical as he took in the sparkling smile that lit up her eyes. "What?" he asked clueless as to what she was talking about.

Maria started to squirm under his heated gaze. "Michael…"

He took possession of the packet again, taking her hand in his and gently rolling her onto her back. "Maria." He settled over her, her body lovingly cradling his as he started to kiss her again, starting with her mouth and moving to her collarbone before reaching his destination. His lips brushed the flushed skin of her breast above his stroking thumb and he smiled at her hiss of indrawn breath. He retraced his path, his mouth meeting hers in a long, slow kiss that had her writhing beneath him.

"Michael, please."

He rose up on his forearms, their hands locked together as he surged into her. The last shreds of his patience snapped in response to her urgent plea. They fell into their rhythm and for just a moment he closed his eyes and he could see them on the floor of the Crashdown. The heat from the fireplace reminded him of another hot night when he had first gone to her. He had been drawn to her in such an elemental way; want and need had collided within him that night and now it paralleled with this moment, the feelings and desires driving every stroke.

One of his hands broke free from hers to slip down between them as he thrust hard and fast. He felt her hand slide around his neck to tangle in his hair as he threw his head back, muscles corded in response to her calling for him. With one last deep thrust he was cresting on the wave with her and then he was safely caught in her arms after his release. He rolled over, taking her with him so she was draped over him as they drew in deep gasping breaths. He watched her in the firelight as his breathing started to even out.

Maria turned her sated green eyes on him and smiled. "That's the best time I've ever had getting out of the tub."

He snorted at that. "Anytime." His left hand patted the floor next to them, finding the damp towel and dragging it closer so he could use it to help her clean up. He nuzzled her with his nose and gave her a long slow kiss before leaning back to look at her. "C'mon, let's get you into bed." He helped her up and they took the few steps over to the bed.

Maria smiled at the thought that it felt like their bed as he pulled the covers back for her to slide in before following her. He settled in beside her and it wasn't long before he was asleep, barely making a sound. Her eyes wandered over the fireplace in the center of the cabin, her gaze tracing over the painting that hung above the mantle. As a child she had stared at a similar painting and desperately wished for her dad to come back so they could be a family again but it had never happened. As an adult she was looking at a different painting and feeling hopeful that maybe she hadn't blown her chance to be Michael's home. She smiled as she snuggled in against his side and closed her eyes, letting sleep claim her.


	40. Chapter 40

**Part 40**

Maria studied Michael's sleeping features in the early morning light. He was relaxed and for once he had slept through the night. It was rare for him to stay down after going to bed. He usually got up multiple times throughout the night to check the windows and door, and on a couple of occasions she knew he had left the cabin to prowl around the perimeter. She shifted closer, draping herself over him and stacking her hands on his chest. She rested her chin on them and let her eyes lazily map his expression as he started to wake.

Her breathing had fallen in sync with his and she held her breath when she recognized the telltale signs of him mentally waking his slumbering senses. She smiled at the frown that pulled his eyebrows down as he focused all of his senses on his surroundings. His features became mobile as one by one he ticked off his mental checklist and determined that nothing was amiss. He stretched his arms high above his head, his expression nearly a grimace as his muscles protested the movement.

His arms came down, pushing the blanket out of the way to slide around her warm body. "Hey," he rasped as his eyes opened to meet her amused gaze.

"Hey," she said softly.

His sleepy gaze traveled over her face, enjoying the feeling of pride that rolled through him at her satisfied expression. "That was some bath, huh?"

She laughed into his chest in response. "And now I need a shower."

"There's room for two in – "

A knock at the door interrupted him and he expelled a harsh breath as he fought the urge to curse. He shot an annoyed glance at the alarm clock on the nightstand. _8:45am._ His gaze went back to the door when the knock sounded again, patient and unhurried.

Maria lifted herself up to kiss him, making sure her naked body brushed against his chest. She pulled away when he groaned quietly, her hands cradling his face as she smiled at him. "Shush. It's probably just Liz."

"Then she can wait," he said as he rolled them over to pin her beneath him.

"We're not leaving her standing on our front step, Michael. It's cold out there!"

"Yeah, but it's warmin' up in here," he said with a teasing nudge.

"Down, boy," she said with a laugh and pushed against his chest. "Lemme have your shirt."

Michael growled but let her wiggle out from under him. "It's in my chair," he grumbled and flopped over on his back. His eyes followed her as she crossed the room and leaned over the back of the chair to snatch up his shirt and pull it on. "Why are there always people at the door?" He groaned when she turned to face him, slowly buttoning the oversized shirt.

"Is red plaid flannel a good look for me or what?" she asked as she started to move to the door.

The shirt was long on her but it still showed off a nice length of leg. "Works for me." He got up and pulled on a pair of jeans and a tee shirt, intercepting her before she could get to the door. He used the side of his foot to kick the chair out from under the doorknob and caught the back of it before it could tip over.

"Michael, I'll get it," Maria said as she reached around him for the door.

He slapped her hand away as it made contact with the knob. "That's not the way it works," he said with a glare at her. "To make sure you stay safe, I answer the door."

She shook her head in exasperation. "It's just Liz."

Michael held his hand up as he shot a look at her, refusing to budge until she moved back away from the door. He yanked the door open and his eyebrows lifted when he saw Isabel standing there, exercising an unusual amount of patience and calm considering how long they had left her out in the cold. He made a show of leaning to the side to look around her. "I don't see your shadow."

Maria snorted. "Worried that means six more weeks of winter?"

He glared at her. "Not funny."

She just laughed and shook her head at him. "Kyle may be short, but he's not furry."

"How would you know?"

She rolled her eyes at him. "Maybe we should just ask Isabel why she's here," she suggested.

"Maybe she came to get the rest of that stupid suit. I don't know why she took the coat and left the pants anyway."

Maria poked him and gave him a warning look that told him to drop it.

Isabel was biting her tongue in an effort to avoid saying something scathing. For nearly 10 minutes she had been standing outside in the cold, and the last couple she had been listening as they debated over who should answer the door and now they were discussing… nonsense. Her sharp gaze moved from Michael to Maria, one perfect eyebrow arching at their appearance. "Looks like you two had a good night," she said and instantly regretted it when the two of them exchanged a smirk. "I just knew this wasn't gonna be easy," she mumbled. "May I come in please? I'd like to talk to Maria."

Michael looked between the two of them, picking up on the underlying tension and wondering what was going on. He knew the night before when he had gotten back the girls had been talking quietly and Isabel had been mysteriously absent but Maria hadn't offered up an explanation. He was pulled out of his musings when a burst of cold air pushed through the open door and Maria danced backwards to use him as a windbreak. He pushed the door closed and glanced between the girls again. One of them was going to start talking at any minute, he was sure of it. And once that happened he was at risk of being dragged into whatever female topic was on the menu.

Maria grinned when she saw the look of discomfort on his face. He was trying to find an escape before he could be faced with whatever female crisis was looming on the horizon. Sometimes he was easier to read than the proverbial book. "Michael," she said, giving him a smile, "would you be a dear and make some coffee for us?"

He grunted and gave her a short nod. "Just coffee, she's not stayin' long."

"I love you too, Michael," Isabel said as she watched him retreat to the little kitchen. Even though he would rather do just about anything other than be involved in a 'girl talk' she knew he would be listening in, trying to figure out what was going on. "Um, Maria, last night I said some things," she started, her voice low.

"C'mon, let's go to the bathroom, it has a door."

Isabel looked around the small room, trying to determine if it was larger than the one she was sharing with Kyle. Her eyes fell on the bathtub and she nodded to herself. It was larger. She shook herself out of her thoughts and turned to sit on the rim of the tub. "Okay, last night…" she trailed off when Maria stopped her by holding her index finger to her lips in a bid for silence. She frowned when the other girl moved to the door and leaned into it, pressing her ear to it for a moment before moving around her to get to the faucet in the bathtub. She turned to watch as Maria turned the water on before shifting back to lean against the sink.

"So, go ahead."

"Right." She nodded. "Maria, I said some things last night…"

Maria stopped her again, this time with a shake of her head. "I kick myself every single day for leaving Michael, so I understand where you were coming from with that. But what you said to Liz… that was just…"

"Just get it out."

Isabel glanced to the side, looking at Alex when he spoke up. He was perched on the tank at the back of the toilet, elbows resting on his knees as he watched them. "It was inexcusable."

"Before all of this happened, me, Liz, and Alex, we were like the three musketeers. We were like that from early on in grade school, Isabel. We loved Alex and losing him…" Her throat closed up and she had to swallow hard. "We still love him and we're always gonna miss him."

The tall blonde sniffed as tears began to well up in her eyes and she nodded. "I miss him too." She leaned forward to grab a tissue from the small decorative box on the edge of the sink. "I'm sorry."

Maria could see the pain in Isabel's eyes and she straightened up. "It wasn't your fault either, Isabel." _No, it was that bitch Tess's fault,_ she thought. She navigated around those thoughts and changed the subject, as much for Isabel as for her. "So, Kyle said something last night about coffee and donuts this morning."

Isabel smiled when Maria moved the conversation to a subject free of landmines. "Yeah, they're gonna have it set up over in Mr. Tony's barn." She watched as the other girl moved to the door, once again pressing her ear to it and nodding to herself. She reached behind herself when Maria motioned for her to turn the faucet off. As the water stopped rushing through the faucet Maria turned the knob and jerked the door open.

Michael stood on the other side, obviously caught in the act of eavesdropping though he tried to cover by pointing at the counter where two steaming mugs of coffee sat waiting. "Coffee's ready."

She rolled her eyes and followed Maria out of the bathroom. _Did he really think anyone was falling for that?_

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Kyle rolled over after the door closed behind Isabel, punching his pillow in frustration and rubbing his gritty eyes. He hadn't slept well, waking repeatedly throughout the night. He should have slept like a rock after the work he had done the day before but his night hadn't been restful at all. The only thing he could think of that could be responsible for his lack of sleep was the unexpected underwear encounter the night before.

He snorted out a laugh. "Unexpected underwear encounter," he muttered under his breath. _Okay, it wasn't exactly news that he was attracted to Isabel. Well,_ he amended silently, _it might be news to her. Had he imagined her giving him the once over last night?_ "Pull it together, Valenti," he snapped and rolled to his feet. "Don't start goin' down that road again."

He hefted the mattress back onto the bunk and grabbed a change of clothes before heading into the bathroom for a shower. He stepped under the spray, gritting his teeth against the frigid water. "Well, that's one of the negatives of living with Isabel." He took a shower in record time and jumped out, drying off and getting dressed before heading back out into the main room. He felt a little better as he wandered over to the counter to snag a cup of coffee since Isabel had been kind enough to make it before taking off.

He reached for the piece of paper propped up next to the mugs sitting on the counter, smiling at the note scrawled there. She had gone to see Maria and then she'd be making her way to see Liz to apologize for what was said the night before. "Where else would you go?" he asked with a fond smile.

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Liz was reaching for her rings where they lay on the back of the sink when someone knocked on the door. She turned her head to glance over her shoulder when Max stepped out of the bathroom, toothbrush clamped between his teeth.

"Got it," he mumbled as he made his way over to the door.

His gait was unhurried and she leaned back against the counter just to watch him. She was surprised to see the person on the other side of the door, expecting anyone but her sister-in-law to be standing there. She hid a smirk when he crowded his sister in the doorway as he looked around for Kyle. Isabel's expression was clearly annoyed at the holdup and after a moment she shoved him backwards.

"Do you mind? It's a little bit breezy out here this morning."

"You're tellin' me," he said agreeably, holding his right arm up to show off the gooseflesh that prickled his skin below the sleeve of his tee shirt. "Where's your shadow?" His hands shot up at her glare. "Just askin'. Don't really see one of you without the other anymore."

She drew herself up to her full height. "Make yourself scarce, little brother."

He held his toothbrush up. "Well, I'm kinda in the middle of…" He turned to follow her stare and for a moment his gaze bounced between his wife and his sister. He relented when Liz nodded. "Okay, I guess I can go over and talk to Michael for a – "

"I wouldn't recommend it," she interrupted. "Not unless you intend to stand outside and freeze to death."

"I don't…" His expression was comical as the meaning behind her words sank in. "Oh."

"You can go over to my cabin if you'd like. Just don't wake Kyle if he's still sleeping."

"No one cares if I'm sleeping." He slunk away at her scathing look, gathering his clothes and slipping them on. He continued to grumble but he kept his ramblings quiet. "Don't do anything to offend the Christmas Nazi's secretary," he muttered under his breath.

"Are you finished talking to yourself?" Isabel asked after several minutes of watching him.

"Does it matter?" he shot back.

"Not really, no." She waved an imperious hand at him, smiling in satisfaction when he shoved his feet into his boots and grabbed his coat.

Max crossed the room to stand before Liz, his expression questioning as he searched her features. He knew something had happened between the girls the night before and his sister's early morning appearance solidified in his mind that it was serious. His hands came up to cradle her cheeks, lifting her gaze to meet his. "I don't know what's going on but whatever it is, you don't have to deal with her alone if you don't want to."

She smiled at him and shook her head. "I'm fine, Max. It's between me and Isabel. There's no need for you to be involved in this."

He bit the inside of his cheek to keep from saying that he'd rather be in the middle of whatever was going on between them than spending time with Kyle. "Alright, I'll go find something to occupy myself with until you two are finished."

"Sometime today would be nice, people," Isabel growled. "We have a project that's waiting for us, so the sooner we get this over with the sooner we can get to work."

"Oh, well, there's all the incentive I needed to get moving," Max mumbled, smiling when it brought a smile to his wife's lips. "Feel free to take your time since she's gonna do her best to kill me with this whole Christmas thing," he whispered as he leaned in for a kiss.

Isabel rolled her eyes when the two of them finally broke apart and Max took his time sauntering to the front door. "Keep it up, Max. You're only digging that hole deeper."

He just snorted. "Yeah, like it can get any worse than it already is." He hurried to pull the door open and make his disappearance when she just smiled in that way that told him yes, it could get worse.

Silence fell over the cabin once Max was gone. Isabel was suddenly at a loss for words as she and Liz stared at each other. After a couple of minutes of the deafening silence Liz glanced down at her hands, her fingers fiddling with her wedding rings. _Somehow Maria was a lot more approachable than her sister-in-law,_ she thought.

"There's really not much you could say to make me feel any more responsible for Alex's death than I already do, Isabel."

She shook her head. "Liz, I didn't mean to say that last night."

"You may not have meant to say it, but you meant it all the same."

Isabel bit her lip as she paced around the main room, her gaze seeking out Alex and finding him sitting in the rocking chair.

"Just be honest with her."

She nodded and took a deep breath. "Okay, yes, at that moment I honestly meant it. But I didn't know I had been thinking it. I must've had it buried down so deeply in my subconscious because rationally I know you're not responsible for his death. We could throw blame around for the rest of our lives and the fact of the matter is we'd only be hurting each other because the fault doesn't rest on your shoulders."

Liz watched Isabel, carefully studying her gestures and breaking down what she was saying. "It doesn't rest on yours either," she said after a few moments. "For all we know, you could be right about what you said last night. Logically, it makes sense. Tess knew Max would never really be hers. She might've had him physically," she swallowed hard, feeling ill all of the sudden, "but she knew that his heart, the part of him that mattered most, she would never have that part of him. Not while he and I were still on the same planet."

Isabel shook her head and gave her a small smile. "It wouldn't matter if you guys were separated by miles or light years, Liz. Tess never would've had that part of him. Max was a goner from the first time he ever saw you and she didn't have to connect with him to know that." She caught the look on Liz's face and she found herself backpedaling. "If she even connected with him in the first place. For all we know that was just a product of her ability to get into people's heads. Whatever it was, it wasn't strong enough to break his connection to you."

She smiled faintly at Isabel's attempt to smooth things over.

"I'm sorry about what I said, Liz." She shrugged. "I suck at apologies and to be honest, in the past most of the time, it's been a matter of formality rather than genuine regret for anything I said or did. But I am sorry because I know Alex didn't die because of what you did."

"I've gone over everything, trying to pinpoint what I could've done differently and the only thing that fits is what you suggested." She sighed and shook her head. "Maybe it was the thing that pushed her into doing what she did to Alex. I don't guess we'll ever know for sure. What I do know is that Alex wouldn't want us to waste time blaming ourselves or each other for something that we can't change."

"If it weren't for you Max and I would probably be dead right now, Zan would be in Khivar's hands, and we never would've known the truth about Alex's death." She sighed. "I talked to Kyle when I got home last night and he says there's only one person to blame for Alex's death… and it's not either one of us."

"Tess," Liz said and nodded. "He's right." She chuckled and shook her head. "I'm not sure we need to let him know that."

Alex snorted at that, drawing Isabel's gaze. "He already knows."

Isabel smiled to herself. "Yeah, well, he already knows."

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Kyle shoved his hands deeper into the pockets of his coat as he walked up the driveway to the barn where everyone else was already gathered. Isabel had been champing at the bit to get the day started when she had come back to the cabin earlier but she hadn't pushed for him to get ready, telling him that she would see him when he got there. He had agreed when Max and Liz had stopped by to walk over to Mr. Tony's with her. Max had looked suspiciously frozen but he had refrained from making a comment. Instead, he had watched them go and then he had taken his time, downing another cup of coffee and watching some old sitcom on TV before shutting it off and getting into his winter gear.

He pushed the door and slipped inside the warmer interior of the barn, turning to shove it closed on the cold wind blowing against his back. He glanced over at the makeshift tables that held the large coffee pot and several trays of fresh donuts. The Stevens' kids were gathered around one of them, munching on donuts and talking. They fell silent for a few seconds, glancing up at his arrival, and greeting him before going back to their breakfast.

"Mornin'," he called out with a nod at them. He pulled his hands out of his pockets and rubbed them together in anticipation as he headed for the table. "Oh, yeah, Kyle needs the sugar rush this mornin'." Maybe it would do something about the headache he hadn't been able to shake.

Maggie started up a running commentary about how Mr. Tony's good friend Dayna and Mama had gotten up early and helped bake donuts at the bakery in East Tawas. He was only listening with half an ear as he wandered around the table, his eyes feasting on the bounty laid out before him.

"Oooh, Bavarian cream with chocolate frosting. You are sooo mine," he said as he leaned over the table to reach for the tray in the center.

"Kyle!"

His hand froze just above the desired donut and he turned his head slightly to glance at Isabel.

"What are you doing?"

"Oh, boy," he muttered under his breath. Isabel had been replaced by her alter ego, the Christmas Nazi. That crazed gleam had entered her eyes once more and he knew it was going to be a long day. He smiled past the headache that wouldn't let up, doing his best to ignore the spike being drilled between his eyes. "Breakfast," he said as he snatched up the donut before someone else could swipe it. "Kyle never skips breakfast."

She let that go, running full steam ahead with her news as she shot the telltale manic smile at him. "The reindeer will be here any minute." She pointed over to the hay bales stacked up against the far wall. "They have to have food in their pen."

His eyes scanned the barn for Max or Michael, both of whom were mysteriously absent. He started to ask where the latter was but knew from experience that he would just be asking for a rant so he let it go. "Where's the wrangler?"

"Dayna needed to make a few alterations to his costume." She arched an eyebrow as her gaze dropped to the donut in his hand. "Kyle, the reindeer…"

He took a bite of the donut and chewed on it for a moment before nodding. "Relax, I've got it." He leaned over and snagged another donut that he held out to her.

Isabel made a face at the cake donut, covered liberally with purple and pink sprinkles.

"C'mon," he cajoled, "it's a Princess donut…" He waved it back and forth in front of her. "Just for you…"

"Really?" Maggie's ears perked up at that. "There's Princess donuts?"

"Um-hmm, there really are," Kyle said with a grin. He knew that Isabel wouldn't be able to turn it down now.

Isabel picked at the donut, pulling a small piece off and studying it. "Kyle, I've been rethinking your costume for Christmas on the Lake."

"I don't have a costume," he said with a shake of his head as he reached over to fill a cup with coffee.

"I know." She popped the bite in her mouth and chewed it. "That's the part I've been rethinking."

He snorted and took a drink of his coffee. "Keep thinkin'."

Maggie looked down at what was left of her own donut and frowned. It was decorated with plain old red and green sprinkles. Somehow it wasn't as appealing as it had been a few minutes earlier. She grabbed Cindy and slid down off of her chair to go over to stand next to Isabel. "Cindy thinks you're a pretty princess," she said as she tucked the beloved toy up under her chin and looked up at Isabel. "I'm a princess too. Michael calls me Princess Maggie."

_Michael, the absent hybrid._ "Yes, he does." Isabel glanced around the barn, looking for him and still not seeing him.

Kyle shot a quick look at Maggie, feeling an _oh, crap_ moment settle over him when he caught her gaze locked on the Princess donut. He nodded when he located one more of the special donuts tucked into the center of a bunch of other sprinkle-covered donuts. "Hey, look at that, there's a Princess donut for each of you."

Isabel smirked as she retrieved the special donut and offered it to Maggie with a wink.

"What do we say?" Edward asked as he approached the table.

Maggie looked up and smiled at him before turning to Isabel. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Edward grabbed a donut and wolfed down half of it while fixing himself a cup of coffee. "I think I've worked harder than I normally do this time of year." He nodded at Isabel. "You really do know how to pull things together. You and Dayna make quite the team." He shook his head. "I didn't think it was possible for anyone else to be so…"

Julia rolled her eyes when Edward stuck his foot in his mouth. "I know how that sounded, but he meant it as a compliment."

He just shoved a donut in his mouth and shrugged, hiding the fact that he was grateful for his wife's interruption.

"Seems to me putting the hay out for the reindeer falls under the duties of the reindeer wrangler," Kyle said as he reached for another donut.

"Nice try," Isabel said with a shake of her head, "but Max is busy right now and those reindeer have to be fed."

Kyle's gaze was locked on the hay stacked against the wall, wondering just how high it was when the door was pushed open and Brian ran inside. The teenager slowed his steps when he realized he had an audience.

"So, the Millers just pulled in the driveway with the reindeer." He moved to stand next to Kyle, following his gaze. "You want some help?"

"Yeah, sure," he answered with a shrug. He was downing the last of his coffee when he saw Michael and Maria come through the door. He just shook his head and grinned when he felt Isabel stand up straighter next to him as her sharp gaze zeroed in on the couple.

Her eyes narrowed slightly as she took in their appearance. Michael's swagger was relaxed and the tips of his shaggy hair were damp. Beside him Maria's gait was unhurried and her hair looked like… She made a face as she stopped her thoughts in their tracks. "What took the two of you so long?"

Michael ignored her as his eyes scanned over the selection of donuts spread out on the table. His stomach rumbled in a not so subtle reminder that he had foregone breakfast to pursue other needs.

Maria was doing her best not to laugh at the look on his face as he eyes the variety of donuts laid out before him. _The proverbial starving man at a buffet, _she thought with a satisfied smirk.

"Good morning, Maria," Maggie greeted as she ran up to them.

"Hi, Maggie." The little girl was already focused on Michael before the words had even finished leaving her mouth so she left the two of them to grab a cup of coffee and something to eat. She altered her course and grabbed Isabel's hand, pulling her away from the others. "Hey, we were kinda rushed for time." She motioned to her hair. "Think you could help me out?"

Isabel huffed indignantly. "I am not your personal hairdresser," she muttered. Her eyes traced over Maria's hair and after a moment she just sighed. "Fine, but only because you can't walk around all day looking like this," she said and dragged Maria off where they wouldn't be disturbed for a couple of minutes.

"Look, Michael," Maggie said as she held up her royal donut, "me an' Cindy have a Princess donut." She studied the donut for a moment before continuing. "Did you know Isabel's really a princess too?"

He snorted at that, smiling at her as he dropped to his haunches to meet her on her level so he could examine the donut. He watched her as she tipped her head back to look up at Kyle.

"Do they make special donuts for the Captain who protects the princess?"

Kyle shot another glance at the wall of baled hay. "They do," he said after a moment of thought. "Bran muffins."

"Yuck." She made a face at that. "Mama makes Daddy eat them."

"Those reindeer aren't gonna feed themselves," Isabel reminded Kyle as she joined them again. She waved a finger at Michael. "And you? You have a full day ahead of you."

He shrugged carelessly. "Better get movin', hay boy." He reached around Kyle and grabbed a couple of the little round glazed donut holes, shoving them in his friend's hand. "Here, you can substitute for the pair you're missin'."

"Was that a joke, Guerin?" He shoved Michael's shoulder. "I think that was actually a joke. What'd you do to him, Maria?" He just grinned and popped one of the donut holes in his mouth, dodging the look Isabel was shooting at him as he hurried over to get started with his task.

Maria looked up when Eddie ran inside with Max following behind at a more sedate pace. Max was watching something over his shoulder and by the expression on apprehension on his face it was probably the trailer with reindeer coming up the driveway.

"Hi, Maria," the boy said as he came to a stop beside her. "You guys must've slept through your alarm, huh?"

"Um-hmm," she agreed, biting her lips to keep from letting her smile escape. "I hope we didn't miss too much."

"Nah, just Max havin' to try on his costume, Dad getting tangled up in a bunch of garland, and Brian stuffing his face like a pig."

Michael rolled his eyes at the boy's obvious attempt to make every other guy in the vicinity sound like idiots.

"Good, we didn't miss much at all then."

"You want me to get you some coffee?" he offered with a big smile.

"That would be nice, thank you."

"I don't mind."

Michael glared at the boy when he ran to grab a cup and fill it for Maria. "Really?" he growled. "You're encouraging him?"

"He's 12, Michael." She smacked his arm with the back of her hand. "You need to leave him alone. He's being sweet."

"I was 12 once too, ya know," he leaned in to whisper in her ear. "And I can assure you he's not fetching your coffee and making sure you're warm because he's all innocent and sweet."

"Whatever. That might not be why _you_ would've done things like that." She smiled when she saw Liz entering the barn. "Oh, look, Liz is here. I'm gonna go talk to her and you… eat." At least if he was stuffing his face he wouldn't be running his mouth. _Well, that wasn't exactly true, but it would distract him for a while._

"Michael, you don't really like bran muffins, do you?" Maggie asked. "'Cause I looked and Mama an' Dayna didn't bring none of them."

"No, I don't like them. Eatin' one of those things is like chewing on a cardboard box."

She laughed at his description. "You're funny, Michael."

He smiled and grabbed a donut. "Looks like Miss Cindy's gonna scarf that donut if you don't eat it pretty soon."

Maggie looked down and giggled when she saw the sprinkles dotting Cindy's white muzzle. She brushed them off and leaned against his side as Max came over to join them. "Are you all excited 'bout the reindeer coming?" she asked him as she picked the donut apart to eat it.

"So excited," he said, trying to muster up a little bit of enthusiasm for the little girl.

"I would be too if I got to be with them like you do. Do you know if Rudolph's gonna be coming too?"

"Um…" He didn't even know how many reindeer his sister had managed to saddle him with although he wouldn't put it past her to bring in all nine of them. Which would be fine if they really were tiny reindeer. But they weren't. He knew what a reindeer looked like and they were anything but tiny. The stupid things were as big as a horse… maybe bigger. And they had horns, antlers, whatever.

"Rudolph, Cupid, Vixen and Prancer," Michael said, taking his cues from Isabel. He licked a smear of chocolate off of his thumb and shrugged. "Santa said the others needed to rest for the big night so they're gonna be at another thing like this closer to home."

Maggie's eyes widened. "But don't they gotta rest too?"

"They'll have time to rest after Christmas on the Lake's over," Max said.

"But they're gonna have to go back to the North Pole and that's far," the little girl countered. "If they're tired they might get lost."

"Really?" Michael growled at Max. He crouched down next to Maggie as he rolled his eyes at his friend. "You know Santa's gonna be here, right?" He smiled when she nodded. "Santa won't let his reindeer get too tired. Y'know, they like stuff like this. And Rudolph, you know how much he enjoys bein' the center of attention. He loves to get out and visit all the kids because he doesn't get a chance to see them on Christmas. Besides, Santa's gonna use his magic to get the reindeer back to the North Pole so they'll be rested up for their trip on Christmas Eve."

The little girl heaved a huge sigh of relief. "Will we get to see Rudolph's red nose?"

"Well," he scratched his jaw as he thought about that one. "He's probably gonna rest it while he's here. That trip around the world's gonna mean he's gotta use it a lot on Christmas Eve."

"Oh." She kicked at several pieces of straw lying on the floor. "I was kinda hoping we'd get to see Rudolph's shiny red nose."

They all looked up when the barn door slid open and several people stepped inside. Two tall men flanked a petite woman who walked with an air of confidence as she walked over to the pen set up in the center of the barn. It was the reindeer walking placidly beside her that immediately had Maggie's attention.

"You know Christmas is all about miracles, right?" Michael asked Maggie quietly.

She looked at him for a moment before she smiled and nodded.

"You just never know when ol' Rudolph might just make his nose blink for you," he said with a wink.

Max looked at Michael when he stood up beside him once more. "You know, for someone who doesn't believe in the whole Christmas thing you sure seem to know an awful lot about Santa's reindeer," he muttered quietly so the words wouldn't carry to Maggie.

"I'm not completely lost when it comes to Christmas. You remember what I told you a couple Christmases ago?" Michael asked just as quietly.

He shrugged one shoulder. "Not really."

"Ya gotta hedge your bets, Maxwell. Can't hurt." He looked down when she slipped her tiny hand into his and together they walked over to see what was going on. He shot a glance over his shoulder when Max hung back. "You comin', Evans?"

"I'm just gonna…" he glanced around, looking for something, anything that would allow him to put off meeting his charges for the duration of this insanity. "Have a donut, maybe get a cup of coffee."

"Wuss," Michael muttered under his breath.

Kyle was hefting another bale off of the stack when the baling twine snapped on one side and hay scattered on the floor around him. "That's just freakin'…" he trailed off when he noticed the small pair of feet covered with hay and he lifted his head to suggest their owner move but the words died on his tongue. He made an inarticulate sound as he found himself facing a petite blonde in her early 20s. She was a few inches shorter than him with twinkling blue eyes and a ready smile. Her left hand was raised and wrapped around the cheek strap of the halter worn by the reindeer standing beside her.

"Hi," the woman said with a grin and stuck her right hand out in his direction.

Kyle started to shake her hand before remembering that he had gloves on and he hurriedly jerked it off of his hand before taking hers.

"I'm Stefanie Miller." She pointed to the men on either side of her. "My little brothers, Frankie and Travis."

"Little, huh?" he said as he shook their hands.

She just grinned when the reindeer nudged her. "Oh, where are my manners?" She reached up to pat the animal fondly. "And this big guy here is Rudolph." He shook his head. "Well, I just call him Rudy." She scratched under his chin and looked at the man in front of her. "So, you must be Max, right? You're my wrangler for the next few days?"

_Oh, I wish,_ Kyle thought with a mental groan. "No, I'm Kyle, but I'll be around to give you a hand if you need it." He pointed across the room and motioned for Max to join them. "This guy here," he said when Max reluctantly joined them, "this's your elf, I mean, wrangler, for the next couple days."

Isabel joined them, lifting her eyes from her planner and frowning when she noticed Kyle standing there with his tongue practically hanging out of his mouth. She rolled her eyes. _He obviously had too much time on his hands,_ she thought as her gaze dropped back to the schedule. She introduced herself to Stefanie and the others, slowly insinuating herself between Kyle and the other woman as they discussed the reindeer.

Max jumped back when Rudolph started to paw the ground. "What's it doing?" he asked, eyeing it warily.

Stefanie laughed. "Get used to it, Max. Reindeer paw their feed. He's just interested in the hay on the floor."

"Great."

"Michael, look… it's Rudolph," Maggie whispered reverently.

"Can she pet him?" Michael asked as they approached the others.

"Sure," Stefanie said with a smile.

Michael picked Maggie up and settled her against his side so she could reach out and touch the reindeer.

Isabel watched the two of them for a moment. She wondered if Michael had any idea just how solid the wall he was building around them was. There was no way they were leaving before Christmas. If there were any doubts before now, they had just evaporated into thin air.

"It's scratchy," Maggie said as she rubbed her hand over the animal's coarse coat. "Does he wear jingle bells?"

Stefanie nodded. "He has jingle bells on his harness. He'll be wearing them when he and the others pull Santa in on his sleigh."

Michael frowned at that. _As if this wasn't enough of a nightmare! How had Isabel managed to slip that little bit of good news under his radar?_ He shot a glare at her that she completely ignored and he smirked when she directed the other woman's attention to the pen in an attempt to keep her focus off of Kyle. He snorted when Kyle tried to get in on the conversation and Isabel asked him if he'd mind getting her a cup of coffee. _Oh, yeah, Christmas just got a lot more interesting._


	41. Chapter 41

**Part 41**

Maria leaned back against one of the makeshift tables, her eyes on Michael as she and Liz carried on a conversation about their morning visitor. She bit into a glazed donut and reached up to brush the shiny flakes off of her sweater. "You know, I thought about it, and I really don't think Isabel meant what she said last night."

Liz nodded, biting back a smile when Maggie leaned over, her small hand held out expectantly in Max's direction. She watched as he reluctantly allowed the little girl to direct his hand to the reindeer's side and followed her instructions as she shared her wealth of wisdom where the gentle giant was concerned. "I agree. She explained when she came by this morning to apologize."

"We should really try to have a girls' night while we're here. I think she kinda feels like she's on the outside of things, ya know?"

"I think you're right. And it's a good idea."

"Hey, Maria," Eddie said as he joined them and held out a cup of coffee. "Um, I wasn't sure so I put cream in your coffee and left the sugar out since the donuts are so sweet." He carefully transferred the cup into her hands, blushing when his fingers accidentally touched hers.

Maria smiled. "Thank you, Eddie, it's perfect. It's just the way I take my coffee in the mornings."

Michael rolled his eyes at that comment. _Whatever,_ he thought with a silent snort.

Liz glanced at the steaming cup of coffee. "Eddie, do you think I could get a cup of coffee?"

"Sure, it's just on that table over there," he said and pointed behind her.

She made a face at him when he turned to see what everyone else was doing.

Brian squeezed into the group gathered around the reindeer, interjecting himself into the conversation between Stefanie and Kyle. "So, hay's all put out for the reindeer," he said with a look at the pretty woman. "Anything I can do to help before I head out to give Dad a hand?"

Kyle snickered silently. _Amazing what a pretty young woman could do to a bunch of guys._ He hadn't once heard the teenager offer to do anything that even remotely resembled work since they had gotten started with this thing.

Michael put Maggie down and started to excuse himself when Edward entered the barn and hollered for the boys. He eyed the older man when he paused to look around at everyone and he wondered what the man was thinking when he suddenly smirked.

Edward's gaze bounced between his boys and chuckled to himself when he noticed that their attention was being held captive by two young women. _Good thing we're gonna be working without all these women around otherwise we wouldn't get anything done,_ he thought. "We don't have all day, boys!"

"Yes, and that lean-to still has to be built for the Living Nativity," Isabel said as an opportunity to eject Kyle from the barn suddenly presented itself. The last thing she needed was to fall behind while he ran his mouth all afternoon and distracted the reindeer woman.

"You guys need a hand?" Michael asked, watching Max as he snuck away to talk to Liz.

"Dad, maybe Kyle and Michael would be better help for you," Brian said helpfully. "I mean, they're older so they're gonna know more about that stuff." He couldn't care less about building some shack thing with his dad when he could be doing whatever Stefanie needed.

"Think you're gonna know a lot more about this stuff than I am," Kyle said before anyone else could speak up.

Brian shot a glare at him from the corner of his eye. "Stefanie might need more hay." He pointed at the floor. "You suck at puttin' hay out for the reindeer."

Isabel looked between the two of them when Stefanie laughed and they both turned to smile at her as if she'd just said something fascinating. She nearly rolled her eyes when Kyle said something that made the other woman smile and she found herself watching Stefanie with a critical eye. Petite, maybe five foot three or four. She looked at Kyle, thinking that Stefanie's petite frame made Kyle look taller. _She couldn't be more than a hundred pounds soaking wet,_ she thought cattily. She mentally slapped herself. _Why did she suddenly care?_ Her gaze went back to Miss Reindeer Whisperer and she sighed. _Probably because she felt like an Amazon next to her, _she thought._ Well,_ she mused, _maybe the cover of a beauty magazine for Amazon women._

"And this is what I've been reduced to," she muttered under her breath. "Comparing myself to a farm girl who pitches hay and cleans up after reindeer. Life is great." She cleared her throat to get everyone's attention, handing out job assignments for the day.

Kyle glanced up when she got to him and he frowned when she gave him his orders. "You want me to what?"

"Well, we can't just assume that it'll snow between now and Christmas, honey."

"But… they're outdoor trees, Isabel! You can't honestly expect me to spend the afternoon out there spraying fake snow on live trees."

"Oh, but I do." She smiled at him. "And they'll need a good, even coat."

Stefanie lifted her eyebrows and grinned when Isabel turned to answer a question from one of the others. "Wow," she said with a teasing grin. "So… honey?"

"Oh, yeah, they're married," Brian interrupted helpfully. "Kyle, Isabel… married." He shot a superior look at Kyle.

"Don't you have somethin' to do?" Kyle growled. "Like building somethin' with your dad?"

Brian just grinned slyly. "Yeah, but it won't take all day. That job of yours though… sounded kinda like an all day kinda thing."

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Liz sipped her coffee as she took a break from her assigned task, risking her sister-in-law's wrath to watch Max as Stefanie went through the commands. She glanced at the other reindeer quietly milling about in their pen, contentedly munching on hay and lazily watching the activity in the barn. Her gaze was drawn back to Rudolph as he stamped one hoof on the floor several times in response to a question from his handler.

Stefanie had gone through a list of commands and Rudolph had responded appropriately to every one of them. Walk, easy, whoa, stand, gee to turn right, and haw to turn left. _Why couldn't she just say right or left? Wouldn't that be less confusing?_ She shook her head at her internal ramblings. Maria was rubbing off on her.

Max paid careful attention to everything Stefanie did, quirking an eyebrow when she pulled a treat out of her pocket and held it out after Rudolph followed another command. She didn't have to do much more than whisper a command and the large animal responded. It was odd the way he seemed to anticipate every command before she had issued them.

"That's pretty much all there is to it." She patted the reindeer's neck. "Rudy responds well to his cues and commands."

Maggie watched in fascination when Rudolph took advantage of the break and he wandered over the pen where the others were. He lowered his head to nuzzle the backpack sitting on the ground by the gate and after a few moments he grabbed one of the straps with his mouth, tugging it backwards. His antlers knocked against the rails of the pen and he snuffled as he pawed at the pack. "What's he doing?" she asked with a laugh.

Stefanie turned around and smiled. "He knows my drink's in my backpack and sometimes I share when he's a real good boy." She looked at Rudolph when he pushed the backpack across the floor. "Are you my good boy today?"

He snuffled again and unceremoniously shoved the backpack up against her foot.

"What's his favorite drink?"

Stefanie leaned over to grab her backpack, unzipping it to pull out the bottle of Cherry Coke that had been spared a good stomping. "Their diets are specialized and it's important to keep them on it, but once in a while it's okay for them to get a little something special. He has no idea what's good or bad for him and if he had his way he'd eat whatever he wanted."

Across the barn Liz was doing her best to hold back her laughter as she thought about how much her husband loved that particular drink.

Max reached up to hold onto Rudolph's halter while she carefully opened the drink so it wouldn't spray everywhere.

"He's pretty, don't you think so, Max?" Maggie asked as she reached out to pet Rudolph. She tipped her head back to look up at him. "Do you think… Hey!" She frowned and shifted her hold on Cindy as she engaged in a tug-o-war with the reindeer that had suddenly developed an interest in the little polar bear's scarf.

Liz smiled when the back of his hand brushed against Rudolph's mouth as he wrapped his fingers around the scarf. The reindeer shook his head and snorted as he released the scarf and she knew he had been introduced to a little bit of hybrid persuasion. Max crouched down next to Maggie and reached for the scarf that she was frowning at.

"Here, let me take a look at it," Max murmured, taking the end of the scarf between his hands and rubbing his palms together. "It'll be good as new in no time."

"Are you sure?"

He nodded. "I'm sure." He lifted his right hand and brushed his fingers over the end of the scarf as he leaned in closer to take a look at it. "How's that?"

Maggie smiled brightly and launched herself at Max, hugging him tightly. "You fixed it!" she exclaimed happily. "Thanks, Max!"

"You're welcome."

Stefanie smiled when Max stepped in and handled things without her input. Rudolph wouldn't have damaged the toy intentionally and if Max hadn't stepped in so quickly she would've spoken up. She chuckled when she opened the bottle fully and Rudolph's head lifted so he could watch her every move.

Liz watched the reindeer greedily drink down the little bit of Cherry Coke that his handler allowed him to have. After a few moments her gaze was drawn back to Max and Maggie. He was great with kids when he allowed himself to open up with them, which wasn't often after last Christmas. She could feel that old discomfort attempting to rear its ugly head but it was overridden by Maria's voice. It was a bit of advice she had given her when Tess had appeared in Roswell with Zan.

"_Either forgive Max or don't."_

It was good advice. Her thoughts shifted to Zan. The little boy was fair like his mother but he had his daddy's features. Her heart rate began to slow as she watched her husband and thought about his loss that even now was as fresh and painful as it ever was. Even now she felt guilty for the relief she had felt when Max had decided to put his son up for adoption to keep him safe.

There was no way to deny that Zan was a part of both Max and Tess, but as she remembered looking into the little boy's smiling eyes it wasn't Tess she saw. It was Max. As that thought washed over her she could feel a lessening of the resentment that weighed so heavily on her. She smiled as Maggie started talking a mile a minute, her excitement so innocent and infectious, and she moved forward to join them.

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Kyle stared at the five-gallon bucket Isabel had just hefted up to sit on the table. "You want me to what?" He leaned over and reached in to pick up a handful of the white flakes, sifting them through his fingers and shaking his head in disbelief. "I thought you said you wanted me to _spray_ the trees?"

"Well, is sprinkling the snow really that much different?"

"Is sprinkling…" He stared at her incredulously. "Isabel, have you seen just how many trees are out there?"

She nodded. "Yes, and imagine how beautiful they'll be with a fresh coat of snow!" she enthused.

"Yeah, I'm imagining," he grumbled.

Isabel lifted an eyebrow at his unusual grumpiness. "Are you alright?"

"Why? Am I not expressing the appropriate level of excitement about this whole snow thing?

She made a face at him. "Make sure you read the directions because you only have to use a small amount of the flakes to make a lot of snow."

He rubbed at his forehead before waving her off. "Go on, I've got this." He grabbed the empty five-gallon bucket sitting on the floor and pried the top off of the powdered flakes that would magically turn into snow with the addition of water. "Make snow," he growled under his breath. "This's great. I'll just go skipping around in the snow sprinkling snow on a bunch of trees like a damn snow fairy."

Michael was walking through the barn, his eyes focused on the instructions in his hand when he overheard the muttering coming from his friend. "What's up with you?" he asked, pausing next to the table.

"Nothin'." Kyle lifted up the little scoop from out of the midst of the flakes, shooting a disparaging glance at it before scooping up some flakes and dumping them in the empty bucket. He lifted his head when Michael just stood there staring at him. "I'm makin' snow, do you mind?"

He held his hands up and shook his head. "Whatever makes you happy." He smirked. "More like whatever makes your wife happy's more like it." He continued on his way, his expression becoming more concentrated as he tried to understand the instructions for building the lean-to for the outdoor nativity set. He could care less about actually reading the stupid things but he didn't want to look like he had no idea what he was doing once they got started.

Edward came back in from running an errand for Julia and he shook his head as he listened to the conversation between the boys.

Kyle tossed in another scoop of flakes. "Isn't this crap hazardous to trees or something?"

He intercepted Michael and relieved him of the instructions and glancing over at Kyle.

"Uh, I thought you said that was important?"

Edward nodded and proceeded to wad the paper up into a tight little ball. "It is… we'll use it later when it's time to start the fire so we can warm up a bit." He turned his head to look at Kyle. "As for your question… this stuff's a lot more environment-friendly." He nodded sympathetically. "It's also a big pain in the backside." He cleared his throat when Kyle frowned at the powder before tossing several more scoops inside the empty bucket and then reached for the water that had been set out on the table. "Uh, I wouldn't…"

Kyle dumped the water into the bucket and jumped back when the white stuff suddenly started to expand and within seconds it was everywhere. "That's just great." He tried futilely to push the overflowing snow back into the bucket but it refused to do what he wanted so he just grabbed the bucket and headed for the door, silently cursing a blue streak.

"Hey, don't mess up my decorations," Michael yelled after him.

"It doesn't seem to be your husband's day," Stefanie commented as she watched him stalk out of the barn, hauling the bucket of snow that was still growing.

"No," Isabel said slowly. "Well, I'm sure my brother has the hang of this if you and your brothers need to get back on the road. You must have a long drive back home."

"Oh, no worries," the petite blonde said with a winning smile. "Frankie will be heading home here in a bit. He'll bring the sleigh out in a couple of days so I can give your Santa a few lessons in driving it before the big day."

"Well, what about you and Travis?"

"Oh, they'll be staying with us, dear," Julia spoke up with a smile. "Stefanie needs to stay close to the reindeer and Travis is a veterinarian." She patted Isabel's arm. "This Christmas is just getting better and better, isn't it?"

Isabel made a sound low in her throat as she forced a smile. "Oh, so much better," she said as she smiled at Reindeer girl.

"How's your voice, Isabel?" Dayna asked.

"My voice?"

"Yes, for the night of the event."

Max snorted. "You don't want Iz to sing." He turned back to Rudolph, scratching the reindeer under his chin to avoid his sister's scathing look.

"Yeah, unless you're lookin' to attract every alley cat for a couple of miles you don't want Isabel singin'," Michael said. "You want someone who can sing, you want Maria."

Maria stopped what she was doing, barely feeling the nudge Liz gave her when they overheard his comment. She looked up at him and smiled when he passed her.

"Hey, it's not Vegas but I guess it doesn't have to be." He shrugged.

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Liz slid her arm around her husband's waist, smiling when his arm settled across her shoulders. She watched Rudolph slurping down the Cherry Coke and she chuckled as she looked up at Max. "Looks like you and Rudy have something in common."

"What's that mean?" Maggie asked.

She slipped out from under his arm, smiling when his hand stayed on her shoulder as she crouched down in front of the little girl. "It just means that Max loves Cherry Coke as much as Rudy does."

Maggie reached for Max's hand and grinned up at him. "See, I knew you an' Rudolph were gonna be friends." She looked at Liz. "Don't you think Rudolph's pretty?"

"He's very pretty," Liz agreed as she reached out to pet the reindeer at the little girl's urging.

Max was watching them when he realized it was the first time he had interacted with Maggie since their arrival that he hadn't seen the ghost of old memories in her eyes.

Isabel joined them and knelt down beside Liz and Maggie. "Do you know anyone who might wanna give Kyle a hand with that snow?" she asked.

Maggie's eyes widened. "Me!"

"You know, I was hoping you'd say that." She smiled. "Kyle would really appreciate a little bit of help." She held her forefinger against her lips. "Just don't tell him I thought he needed any help."

The little girl shook her head. "I won't tell." She looked down at the stuffed bear in her arms. "I'm just gonna go ask Michael if Cindy can stay with him, okay?"

"That sounds good." She stood up to face Stefanie as soon as Maggie ran across the barn to find Michael.

"Are you ready for me to show your Santa the ropes?" she asked with a friendly smile.

"Yeah. He won't be very excited about this so I sent his girlfriend over to convince him to be a little more agreeable.

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Kyle threw a handful of snow at the tree in front of him, watching as it smacked against one of the branches of the evergreen and only succeeded in knocking the snow already on the branches to the ground. He sighed and grabbed another handful, attempting to sprinkle it as suggested. He crinkled his nose up and tried to inhale deeply through his nose, nearly choking when he realized one side of his nose was stopped up.

"Great," he muttered. "No wonder I can't get rid of this headache." He was probably coming down with a sinus infection. He sighed and stared at the pathetic distribution of snow on the branches. This crap just wasn't spreading in an even manner. Isabel was going to have a fit over the way the tree looked. "Yeah, Isabel, sprinkling snow really is that different."

"Oooh, it's so pretty! Can I help you, Kyle?"

He looked down when Maggie suddenly appeared beside him. "Sure, you wanna get those lower branches?"

"Okay!" She leaned over the bucket and grabbed up two handfuls of snow, dropping most of it in her excitement.

"Here, be careful," he warned as he picked her up and set her safely down on his other side. "That stuff gets slick underfoot."

"Thanks, Kyle," she said with a smile. "Isabel said you might need some help and I'm the best one 'cause I help Daddy when he does this."

"Your dad does this, huh?"

"Um-hmm." She put more snow on the branches. "Mrs. Dayna likes snowy trees too!"

"Should've known," he grumbled under his breath.

"What?" Maggie asked, peering around a particularly bushy branch.

"Huh? Oh, I said we need more snow."

"Want me to go get it?"

Kyle looked up just as she ran around the tree and her left foot hit the snow she had dropped earlier. He saw her feet fly out from under her and he launched himself towards her, his own foot slipping on the slick stuff as he wrapped his arm around her. He caught himself with his other hand and managed to flip himself over, hitting the ground on his back. Maggie landed on his chest, her elbow impacting with his ribs, and her knee colliding with his stomach.

"That was fun! Let's do it again!"

"Oh, I think once was enough for Kyle," Edward said as he sidestepped the slick area and leaned over to collect his daughter. He had seen the slide and the fall and his heart was still pounding. "Nice catch," he said as he held a hand out to the younger man.

He stood up and forced a smile as he rubbed the back of his head where it had smacked the ground. "Thanks." _Note to self. Next time, be the reindeer wrangler._

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Michael was busy trying to assemble one of the sides for the lean-to when he was suddenly thrown into shadow. He slowly turned his head and frowned at Max, Liz, and Maria where they were standing in a semi-circle around him. "You're blockin' my light."

"You're up, Michael," Max said, his tone amused. "Stefanie's waitin' to introduce you to the reindeer and give you a lesson with the reins."

"I'm busy. Gotta get this thing put together." He turned back to what he was doing, intent on ignoring them.

Maria motioned for the other couple to leave them alone and she leaned against Michael's back, her arms coming around his shoulders so she could link her hands. "You know you've gotta go over there and meet the other reindeer. They'll be much more comfortable with you holding the reins if they know you."

"Maria, that's just dumb," he huffed. "And I'm not gonna come ridin' in here on a sleigh."

"Aww, Michael… just think about how excited all the kids will be when they see you."

"The suit's bad enough, Maria. No reindeer and no sleigh."

"Y'know, Michael, I had a weird dream last night."

He snorted. "Yeah? Had a few of those myself."

"Yeah, well, I dreamt that we lived out in the country in this little cabin in the woods. It was spring and while I was doing the dishes I looked out through the window and there was this little moose coming through the trees. His name was Wally and we had raised him from the time he was orphaned as a baby."

Michael paused and dropped the hammer to rest against his calf as he tipped his head back to look up at her. "You're right, babe."

She smiled brilliantly at his capitulation but before she had the chance to speak he opened his mouth again.

"You're right," he repeated with a smirk, "that is weird."

She smacked his shoulder. "Michael."

He shook his head. "I'm not doin' the reindeer thing."

"Maggie expects it," she said, pulling out her ace in the hole. She tugged on the little bear sticking up just above the zipper on his coat. "And you're not gonna let her down are you?"

He grumbled out several colorful curses under his breath, ducking out of the way when Maria flicked his ear. "Ow! What was that for?"

"Using language like that when you're assembling a shelter for the baby Jesus."

He rubbed his ear and shrugged her off of his shoulders. "It's not like He's actually gonna be there." He got up and grabbed her hand, dragging her along with him before she could say anything else. "C'mon, let's get this over with."

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As afternoon turned into evening the level of energy slowly began to wane. Julia and Dayna were talking out by the cars in the driveway at Mr. Tony's house before the latter said her goodnights and left with a promise to catch up with them again the next day. Travis would get the couch in the living room and Stefanie would get the futon in the den for the duration of their stay so they had been over at the house getting things ready for their guests. She went back inside and started getting things together and straightening up.

She paused at the large picture window, taking a moment to watch Edward and Kyle making their way back to the barn. The sun was setting, its muted light filtering in through the window and casting a hazy glow over everything in sight. She smiled when they stopped near the entrance to the barn and Edward turned to gesture to something as he talked animatedly. She couldn't make out their expressions from her position but she could easily see the weary slump to Kyle's shoulders.

She wondered what was weighing so heavily on his mind, what was keeping him from sleeping. He was normally very talkative, his blue eyes filled with humor and an easy grin on his lips, but all day he had been reserved and quiet, the skin around his eyes tight with strain. There was a restlessness that was at odds with his normally calm and accepting demeanor. The mother in her wanted to bundle him up and take care of him. But the woman in her knew better than to call attention to him when he was apparently feeling under the weather. She made a mental note to see what she could do when they got back over to the house.

"Mom, we're finished with that list of chores you gave us," Brian grumbled as he came into the living room.

She turned away from the window when Edward and Kyle went their separate ways, her husband heading up to the house while the younger man went into the barn. Eddie followed his brother into the room and they threw themselves down on the couch noisily. Anyone who didn't know better would think they had been forced into unfair labor all day. She was going over the list she had given them when Edward came inside, stomping his boots on the mat by the front door.

The boys looked at each other, a silent conversation passing between them before they quickly turned to look at Dad. They rolled their eyes when he walked over to wrap his arms around Mom, knowing if they didn't get his attention right away they would be out of luck. Brian reached over and punched Eddie's upper arm as hard as he could, motioning to their parents when his brother frowned at him and rubbed his arm before leaning over to return the gesture.

"Cut it out, Brian!"

"Wuss!"

"You boys wanna both cut it out?" Edward asked, silencing their protests with a look. He nodded to himself when they separated, moving as far apart as was possible on the couch.

"Can we go down to the barn to see the reindeer?" Eddie asked after several moments of silence.

Edward glanced between his boys, knowing full well that the reindeer were at the bottom of their list of things to see. "You finish your chores?" He looked down at Julia, fighting back a grin when she rolled her eyes at him. "Go on then," he said when the boys nodded in response.

"You know very well that helping is the last thing on their minds."

He chuckled and pulled her closer. "I'm sure those girls can handle themselves with a couple of teenage boys."

Julia just shook her head at his amusement, sighing and melting into him when he snuggled up against her.

"You smell good, woman."

She smiled and shivered when he pressed his cold lips to her neck. She was opening her mouth to say something when he followed up with what she was certain was one of the top three things on every man's mind.

"What's for dinner?"

"Brenda and Peter over at the Pizza Barn called and wanted to bring pizza and breadsticks out to the house for everyone."

He paused and lifted his head to look at her. "I hope you didn't turn it down."

She rolled her eyes when Mr. Sweet and Sensitive fled to make room for Mr. Hungry. "No. We've got about 45 minutes before they'll arrive so that should be plenty of time to lock up over here and get everyone over to the house and cleaned up."

Edward nodded in agreement.

"Isn't it wonderful how the whole community is coming together for this?" she asked, smiling widely as she looked around at the various projects going on.

"It's wonderful that we're havin' pizza for dinner. I can't wait to pop the top on a cold one and sit down with a slice of pizza."

She smiled and rubbed his arm. "Let's get things locked up and get everyone over to the house."

He nodded and clapped his hands together in anticipation. "I'll go get everyone rounded up and head 'em over to the house." Pizza was on the way and there was no need for it to get there first and get cold!

Julia snorted softly at his words. The way he had phrased it made it sound like he was rounding up a herd of stray cattle instead of their children and guests.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Michael sank his teeth into a thick slice of pizza, his eyes following the elastic line of cheese between the pizza and his mouth that didn't want to break. "That's a sign of good pizza," he mumbled.

Maria reached out and broke the sign in half when she realized Eddie was mimicking him. The cheese snapped back and landed against his chin and she rolled her eyes at him when he shot a look at her. Put him around a couple of teenage boys that thought he was the coolest guy they had met in a setting where he was more relaxed than normal and he regressed a couple of years.

"That's not bad," Travis said. "The trick is to see who can stretch that cheese out the farthest without pullin' the entire layer of cheese off the top of the pizza."

"Which is not something you will be doing," Stefanie said and punched his thigh under the table.

"Ow, Stef! Jeez, Sis." He rubbed his thigh and glared at her.

"Oh, whatever, you big baby." She grinned at the others around the table and shrugged. "Growing up with two brothers leads to some very valuable lessons." She nodded at Isabel. "You know what I mean."

Max snorted at that. "Isabel's always had more of an interest in blackmail rather than physical threats."

Isabel just smiled. "It's a method that never failed with you, little brother." She glanced over at Kyle when he picked at his pizza with little interest.

"What's that mean?" Maggie asked as she looked up from pulling the toppings off of her pizza and separating them into little piles on her plate.

"It just means that Isabel always wins," Michael said as he reached over and picked the sausage off of her plate and popped it in his mouth. "C'mon, Valenti, whaddaya say, wanna see if you can do it?" he asked as he contemplated the toppings on his next slice of pizza.

"I'll pass," he said with a forced smile. He picked a piece of pepperoni off of his pizza and stared at it thoughtfully before nibbling on it.

"I hear you're pretty good with a wrench," Stefanie said with a smile. She nodded when Kyle looked at her inquisitively. "Yeah, you. The girls were saying you put the pen together."

"Hey, I helped with the pen too," Brian interjected before Kyle could speak up.

"You did not!" Eddie said, rolling his eyes. "You were s'posed to but you didn't."

Brian kicked his brother as hard as he could and gave a sharp shake of his head.

Maggie glanced between the boys, trying to figure out what was going on. After a few moments her interest faded and she glanced over at Kyle. "Aren't you gonna eat?"

Julia stepped in before everyone could focus on Kyle and his lack of appetite. "How long have you had an interest in working with reindeer, Stefanie?"

"Since before she could walk," Travis spoke up before his sister could answer. "Dad would take her down to the barn every night and carry her around to talk to the reindeer. Her first word was doe." He grinned at her. "First time she walked was in the barn." He nudged her shoulder. "Got her first kiss in the barn."

Stefanie shoved him back. "Shut up, Travis."

He chewed on a piece of ice and shrugged his right shoulder, not bothering to wipe the smug grin off of his face.

"I thought you said your brothers were younger than you," Michael said, his dinner momentarily forgotten.

"That's just how she introduces us to people," Travis said as he leaned forward and snagged another slice of pizza. "Frankie's the youngest, I'm the oldest… it kinda lessened her middle child complex to pretend she's the oldest so we just let her keep up the act."

"I'm the youngest," Maggie spoke up. She tore her crust into little bits and made a pile on her plate before looking up at Michael. "Are you the youngest in your family?" she asked, glancing around at the others.

"You think I'm the youngest?"

She studied Max, Liz, Isabel, Kyle, and Maria for a few minutes, unconsciously munching on the bits of crust. "No," she said finally.

Edward and Julia glanced at each other during the exchange, wondering why Maggie was looking to Michael's friends to answer his question. She reached over and placed her hand over his, shaking her head and turning her attention to Kyle. He had managed to force down a slice and a half of pizza but it looked like he had reached the point where he wasn't taking another bite. She had noticed him rubbing his temple on occasion and she was beginning to suspect that he must have a major headache.

She got up, disappearing for a few minutes before coming back and filling a mug with coffee. The sound of a fingernail tapping against a bottle let her know that Edward had emptied his beer so she grabbed one from the refrigerator on her way back to the table. She carried both drinks over to the table, setting the mug down by Kyle's plate and nudging his hand.

Kyle glanced down at the red and white Tylenol caplets Julia had placed next to his plate where no one else would see them. He smiled faintly and nodded in appreciation as he picked the pills up and downed them before settling back with his coffee. He would give it another half an hour and then he was calling it a night with or without the others.

At the end of dinner Julia looked around the group and smiled. "I think we should watch a Christmas movie." Cleanup from dinner wouldn't take long thanks to the miracle of paper plates and pizza and she already knew the girls would jump in and offer to give her a hand. She shook her head when she saw Edward picking at the label on his bottle. Obviously he wasn't in the mood for a Christmas film. "Or, if you guys would prefer us girls can watch a movie and you guys can head down to the man cave and watch something else?"

Edward placed his hand on her knee and grinned. "I'm good with a Christmas movie." He held back a laugh when his boys groaned. "I was thinkin' somethin' along the lines of _Die Hard_."

She smacked his arm. "That is not a Christmas movie!"

"It's Christmastime in the movie, that counts," he argued with a grin.

"I'm good with that logic," Travis spoke up.

Maria shook her head and smiled at Michael. "Go on, you're not gonna sit still through a Christmas movie anyway."

"I think Edward just pointed out the flaw in your argument."

Maggie stuck her bottom lip out. "You don't wanna watch a movie with us?"

"I need to spend some time with Max." He nodded at the other guy. "He's feelin' a little left out since me an' you have been hangin' out."

"Sounds like your evening should be interesting," Liz whispered as she leaned into Max.

He snorted softly at that. "Yeah, that's one word for it."

"Oh." Maggie turned to look at Max, watching him talk to Liz and she nodded. "Okay." She looked at Mama. "Can I pick the movie?"

"Maybe you could pick out two or three and then we'll all vote on one, how's that?"

"Okay!"

Kyle decided that was his cue to call it a night. His head was still throbbing and he felt like crap. He just wanted to lie down and sleep through the night. Hopefully no one would question him when he told them he was heading back to the cabin to catch up on some much-needed sleep. He would feel better in the morning, he was sure of it.


	42. Chapter 42

**Part 42**

The second hand crept around the clock, the minutes passing with agonizing slowness. The ticking of the second hand was painfully loud in the otherwise silent cabin and the sound was slowly driving him mad. He spent the night tossing and turning, his body sore and tense as he fought to find a comfortable spot on the mattress. He nearly got up three different times to steal a spot on Isabel's bed but he knew the mattress wasn't the problem.

He rubbed his gritty eyes as the hour hand finally and torturously slowly landed on the seven. It was still dark out and the lack of sunlight only seemed to make his jittery nerves worse. It felt like it had been nighttime for days on end and he finally rolled his aching body off of the mattress and onto his knees. The back of his neck was so tense and stiff that the slightest movement sent sharp pains radiating through his shoulders and made his head hurt worse. He inhaled deeply and sighed when he had no problem breathing through his nose. _So much for the theory that he was coming down with a sinus infection,_ he thought morosely.

He left his mattress on the floor and grabbed his clothes as he moved through the cabin. He made a quick stop in the kitchen to turn a light on and start a pot of coffee before heading for the bathroom. He checked on Isabel to make sure she was still sleeping before he ducked into the tiny room and started the shower. He adjusted the water temperature until it was as hot as he could stand it and he stood under the spray, letting it beat down against his head, neck, and shoulders in the hope that it would loosen his muscles up and ease the pain ricocheting around in his body.

He rarely had problems sleeping and he didn't recall ever having problems to this extent. He rolled his shoulders, groaning at the resulting pain. The muscles in his neck were so taut that he couldn't give his head a good hard snap to relieve the pressure. He reached up to rub the back of his neck in an effort to release the tension, sighing raggedly when it eased just enough to allow him to drop his head down between his shoulders.

Kyle stayed in the shower until he had run every ounce of hot water out of the tank. He winced as he rolled his head along his shoulders. His muscles were a little bit looser, but he could already feel them tightening up again. If it were a different girl he'd feel bad about using up all the hot water, but Isabel had the advantage of using her powers to heat up the water so even though she might grumble about it she would get over it fairly quickly.

He could hear her moving around in the kitchen and he wondered what the chances were that she was making breakfast. She could cook but it wasn't something she did very often. He didn't smell anything cooking but he was more interested in coffee right now anyway. He toweled off and grabbed his jeans, frowning at the drops of water that had been sprayed on them at some point. He shook them out and shoved one foot into the first leg, hopping backwards and banging his elbow into the wall when he tripped on the other leg.

"Sonofa – " He caught himself and smacked his head back against the wall. "Let's just start this mornin' out right, why don't we?"

"Kyle, are you alright in there?" Isabel asked from the other side of the door.

"Fine," he muttered as he rubbed the back of his head. He braced his back on the door and jerked his jeans up over his hips. He straightened up and leaned over the sink to stare at his reflection, shaking his head at the dark circles underlining his bloodshot eyes. His jaw was shadowed with stubble, giving him a scruffy look. "Good thing you're not supposed to be Santa 'cause you look more like a bum who's been on a drinking binge."

He pushed away from the sink and gathered his things up before jerking the door open and hurrying over to his room. He threw his things on the dresser and grabbed the mattress, hefting it up and tossing it on the top bunk. He grabbed a pair of socks and draped his shirt over his right shoulder before walking into the living room and sitting on the loveseat.

"I was gonna make scrambled eggs," Isabel said as she placed a cup of coffee in front of him.

He rubbed his temples before reaching for the coffee and taking a sip of the hot bitter liquid. "I'm not really hungry, but you go ahead."

He wasn't hungry? He hadn't eaten much at dinner the night before and she had known Kyle to put an entire pizza away in a single sitting before. "Well, alright, I'll make breakfast and if you change your mind at least it'll be there."

He nodded and instantly regretted the movement when the sharp pains shot down through his shoulders again. Half an hour later he was lying on the loveseat, his legs dangling over the opposite arm as the weatherman droned on in the background. It didn't seem to matter what was on TV the weather always seemed to interrupt at some point. His right arm was draped over his eyes, his left hand wrapped around the coffee cup that was balanced on his stomach. _God, his worst hangover in high school hadn't made him feel this bad!_

Isabel was scraping the scrambled eggs into a bowl when the obnoxious pounding started on the door. She shot an irritated glare at the door before putting the pan in the sink and going over to jerk it open. "Do you mind?" she asked.

"No, I don't," Michael answered, giving Maria a push to get her inside. "Somethin' smells good. You make those scrambled eggs with the jalapenos?"

Isabel rolled her eyes and started to shut the door when someone reached out to hold it open and she frowned when she saw her brother and his wife making their way inside. "Did we invite all of you to come over?"

"Unnecessary." Michael was moving around in the kitchen, lifting lids off of dishes and making a nuisance of himself. "You must've been expectin' us 'cause you made an awful lot for just the two of you."

"That's for me, actually," Kyle mumbled from the living room.

Michael moved to lean over the back of the loveseat. "What's wrong with you, Valenti?"

"Not sleepin' too well here lately." His voice was gravelly and tired.

"You sure that's all?" Michael asked when Kyle lowered his arm and slowly sat up. "You look like shit."

"Michael!"

He turned when Maria and Isabel both yelled at him at the same time. He shrugged and reached out to slap Kyle on the back. "You guys mind? The guy looks an' feels like shit. You think yelling's gonna make him feel any better?"

Kyle winced when Michael tried to be helpful. "I'm really not all that hungry," he said as he rubbed the back of his neck. "So, help yourself."

Isabel frowned at that and elbowed Michael out of the way when he descended on the food as if he hadn't eaten in days. She made a sandwich with eggs and bacon and took it over to Kyle. "Try to eat that, okay?"

He nodded and stared at it, feeling his stomach turn over at the thought of trying to force food on it. _You can do this,_ he told himself. _Hell, could it really make you feel any worse?_

"Kyle, you said you wanted to do some work on the van today, didn't you?" Isabel asked, thinking they could use that as an excuse to get him away from everyone for the day. Maybe if he had some time to himself he would start to feel better.

Michael paused, mid-chew as he looked between the two of them. "Work on the van?" he mumbled, wiping the back of his hand across his mouth. "He can't go alone." His mind was several steps of his mouth, already seeing the silver lining of this particular dark cloud. "Wait, I'll go with him." It was perfect! Work on the van and get a break from Santa land. Kyle wasn't the only one who needed a break from that insanity. "We'll just have to get Dean to put somethin' on besides that crap he listens to."

"Well, if you guys are gonna go to the shop then we can go shopping," Maria said with a look at Liz.

"Oh, yeah, you can just drop us off at the Wal-Mart!"

"Wait, wait, wait!" Isabel interrupted when all of her elves started to mutiny at the same time. "We have things to do."

"I wouldn't mind workin' on the van." Max looked around when silence fell over the room. Liz and Maria were both trying hard not to laugh while the latter smacked Michael on the back when he choked on whatever he was eating. "Okay, fine, maybe I have no idea what to do under the hood of a car, but I'd still rather be there than hangin' out with reindeer all day."

Isabel shook her head and took another bite of scrambled eggs and bacon. "We have a lot of work to do."

Maria and Liz exchanged a look and came to stand on either side of her.

"Isabel, we can go shopping… Christmas shopping," Maria cajoled.

"And it's Wal-Mart," Liz added. "You know they have everything… Makeup, party supplies, food, ice cream…"

"Christmas decorations," the two girls chimed in at the same time.

Isabel rolled her eyes as she finished her breakfast. "Okay, I suppose we could pick up some of the finishing touches for our rehearsal of Christmas on the Lake."

Michael's eyes narrowed and the piece of bacon in his hand snapped in half, hitting the floor and crumbling all over the place. "What rehearsal?"

"You heard me. We have to have a dress rehearsal."

Kyle pressed his fingertips to his temples as the conversation around him reverberated in his head. "Let's just do it, okay? We'll drop you girls off at the Wal-Mart and we'll head over to the shop to do some work on the van." He sighed and pushed his sandwich back, deciding that he wasn't ready to face the consequences if he forced food on an already queasy stomach.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Michael was watching Maria fiddle with the radio while they waited for Isabel to join them. She had instructed him to drive up to the main house so she could run in and let Julia know they were taking the day and spending some time together while the guys worked on the van. He lifted his head when a flash of green caught his eye and he raised the hand that was resting on the steering wheel to wave at Maggie. The little girl was watching them as Isabel walked back to the van, her nose pressed against the glass in the screen door and Cindy held tightly to her chest.

The drive to the Wal-Mart took under half an hour but as the miles flew by they each retreated into their own thoughts and the silence in the van grew. Without verbally acknowledging it they all knew what they were thinking. It was the first time since they had broken down that they had all been confined in a single vehicle again. It brought up the reminder that their situation was still untenable and that eventually they were going to have to leave this place where for a short time they had found peace with a family who had accepted them into their home and their hearts.

Kyle glanced down at the brown paper lunch sack sitting beside him on the seat. He smiled slightly as he remembered Isabel carefully wrapping it and tucking it safely in the sack before handing it to him, insisting he take it with him in case he felt like eating later. He just didn't have the heart to tell her that if warm eggs didn't sound good then cold eggs would only be worse. He closed his eyes behind his sunglasses in an attempt to block out more of the sun and he sighed as he crossed his arms over his chest. He cracked one eye open when he felt the van take a turn and as soon as he identified the parking lot of the local Wal-Mart he went back to staring at the backs of his eyelids.

Michael stopped at the furthest parking area in the lot and let the engine idle as he shifted in his seat so he could see everyone.

"I hope you don't think we're hiking across this parking lot, Michael," Isabel said as she glared at him over her sunglasses.

"When have I ever expected that from you?" he asked, shaking his head at her. "It's a tempting thought, but no, I think Max should stick with the girls."

"Uh… why?" Max asked. He kicked the back of Kyle's seat when he heard him snickering.

Liz pinched the back of his hand as hard as she could when she saw Kyle wince in pain.

"You and Isabel can keep an eye on things and if anything goes wrong there's more backup. Three girls wandering around lookin' at all the crap in a store this size? You know they're gonna separate and wander off and when they do – "

"And when they do someone needs to be babysitting the human," Maria grumbled. She rolled her eyes as she leaned against the door and stared out through the windshield.

"That thing you're doin'? Quit it." Michael shot a look at her before continuing. "Like I was sayin', it makes more sense for Max and Isabel to both be here with Maria and Liz because the area of coverage is a lot larger than what we'll be dealin' with at the shop."

"Kyle's feeling like crap," Maria pointed out. "Maybe it'd be better if he had more protection."

"I think Kyle can handle himself," Max interrupted.

"He isn't feeling that great in case you missed it," Isabel bit out as she turned to look at her brother. She had no idea what his issue was with Kyle but she was getting tired of his attitude.

"Stop it, all of you!" Kyle snapped. "I'm fine. The four of you go wander around the damn store and let me go work on the van in peace! I'm perfectly capable of handling myself if anything happens. I don't need a babysitter. I've helped drag drugged out aliens to safety before if you recall."

"Amen," Maria muttered under her breath.

"This's settled." Michael's hand clenched around the steering wheel and he gritted his teeth. "Max, you're goin' with them." He turned around and put the van into gear, driving up to the front of the store and letting them out by the double doors. He leaned over to grab Maria's hand as the others climbed out through the side door. "Hey, don't be pissed at me; this is not a matter of not trusting you to take care of yourself. It's a safer division of forces, okay? That's it, nothin' more."

She stared into his eyes as she reached up to brush her fingers over his cheek. "Alright," she said after a moment. She leaned in to kiss him slowly.

"You guys wanna hurry it up?" Max growled. "It's a little bit windy out here today."

Maria laughed at the disgruntled comment as she pulled back. "Be safe. And keep an eye on Kyle, okay? I think he must be comin' down with a cold or something."

"We'll be back around 1pm, meet you guys at the McDonalds."

She smiled and nodded. "See ya then."

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Kyle walked into the shop at the dealership with Michael right behind him. He raised the hand holding the paper sack and tossed it towards a nearby trashcan.

"Hey, hey, what're you doin'?" Michael asked as he intercepted the lunch sack before it could hit its target. He smoothed the creases out of the sack and shook his head at the other guy. "Okay, Valenti, what gives?"

Kyle shook his head and tried to move past the taller hybrid.

"You know, last time Isabel gave me a sandwich we were in grade school and it was her sandwich. She's never cooked anything for me." He unwrapped the sandwich and took a big bite out of it. "So what's up with that anyway?"

"I don't know… manners? It'd be rude to only cook for herself when I'm right there too."

Michael just snorted at that. "Whatever. Isabel does what she wants to do."

"That much is true," Kyle said, waving when Dean hollered over the noise coming from the radio. They hadn't made it into the shop yet, still safely on the other side of the glass, but he could already feel the beat of the music. He appreciated Isabel's attempt to be helpful, he really did, but this was one time she could've not been helpful and it would've been okay. "However, we both know she was raised better than that."

He just shrugged and polished off the sandwich.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The double doors slid open with a quiet whoosh and the large heaters overhead ushered the four of them in with a welcome burst of warmth. The scent of freshly baked goodies in the bakery combined with the heartier scent of roasted chicken and other meats from the deli. Intermingled with those scents came the familiar smell of cheeseburgers and French fries from the McDonalds tucked in the corner near the entrance.

"Oooh, Liz, do you smell that?" Maria asked as she looked around. "We've got to check out what they're making over there."

"Definitely," Liz agreed happily. She was tucked in against Max's side, enjoying the feeling of being with him openly.

Isabel whipped her planner out and flipped it open. "We'll need to find a decent star for the Nativity, and we're gonna need at least 10 more strands of lights." She glanced up for just a moment, snapping her fingers to get her brother's attention. "Max, go and get a cart." She continued without waiting to see if he would follow her orders. "Then of course, we'll need to find a suitable corkboard to pin the thank you cards for the Tony family from the community. Don't you think it'll be a nice way for everyone to express their gratitude for their years of service?" Her eyes lifted and she clutched the planner to her chest with both hands as she smiled widely. "Can't you just see it? Cards signed by Santa, his elves, and the children. And anyone else who wishes to leave a message of thanks."

"Um, and who's gonna explain these expenses to Michael? Because he's gonna blow a gasket over any," Maria raised her hands to make air quotes, "unapproved spending."

Isabel just smiled. "Let's just say I have a rainy day fund."

Maria snorted and looked to the side when Max rejoined them with a cart. "Not me, it rained hard that first couple weeks we were on the road."

Liz shot a smirk at Maria and said, "Yeah, a rainy day fund named Kyle."

The tall blonde wrinkled her nose at that and moved ahead of them, stopping near an aisle to look around and get her bearings. Liz patted her husband's hand and motioned ahead to his sister. "Why don't you go see if you can soothe her ruffled feathers?"

"You ruffled 'em," he muttered. He looked at Liz and then Maria and gave a long-suffering sigh. "Fine, just gimme a minute with her."

Isabel didn't look up from her perusal of a sale ad when her brother came to stand beside her, choosing to ignore his presence. Until he made it a point to roll the cart back and forth beside her and the sound of one of the wheels constantly squealing began to grate on her nerves. She whirled around to look at him. "What do you want?"

Max leaned on the cart and grinned at her. "So, you've separated Kyle from the money clip?" he teased.

"No," she huffed indignantly, "I have not. I have my own money, thank you."

"Uh-huh, sell it somewhere else. We all carry pocket money and the rest we pooled together and Kyle carries it since he pretty much handles expenses."

Isabel glared at him. "I am in the middle of going over some very important things here, Max, so unless you need something that pertains to Christmas on the Lake…"

He nodded at the warning and held his hands up in defense. "You said we needed lights? Do we need colored lights? All white? Solid or blinking?" He really couldn't care less about the lights but pursuing the other conversation was going to get him in trouble and he wasn't willing to risk that.

"So," Liz said after he had joined his sister, "that was some kiss out in the van, Maria. You and Michael seem like you're really back together."

"Oh, that." Maria grinned even as she felt the blush rising across her cheeks.

"Well, it was kinda hard to miss." She gave her best friend a one-harmed hug. "I'm really happy for you, Maria."

"The last few days have been so good, Liz, but he's still holding back." She sighed and looked around for a moment. "I really hurt him and I can see just how much every time we're together. He hasn't opened up our connection." She bit her bottom lip and shook her head. "I don't get the flashes."

"It'll probably just take time," she rushed to assure her friend. "Maria, the change in him over the past few days since we've been off the road has been amazing. I think it'll happen."

Maria nodded, but redirected instead of responding. "Sugar rush, Liz. Can you smell it?" She pointed to the bakery they were approaching, smiling at the woman standing near a sample tray. "Let's go."

"I'm right there with you."

They made small talk with the woman as they each took a sample and Maria popped the warm bite of cinnamon goodness into her mouth. The cinnamon and icing melded together, the flavors bursting on her tongue, and she chewed the fluffy bread slowly. "Mmm, I remember my mom bringing these to the Crashdown on Saturday mornings."

Liz nodded at the shared memory. "Um-hmm, hers were much better though."

Isabel could hear their conversation in spite of her efforts to ignore it and she felt a wave of isolation wash through her. She watched Max as he joined the girls, easily slipping in between them and draping his arm around his wife's shoulders. Her eyes moved over them when Liz settled against him, sliding her arm around his waist as she reached up with her free hand to feed him a cinnamon bite. It was nauseating to watch but at the same time it opened up that dark chasm of loneliness and she looked away as memories rose up before her, easing that pain and opening old wounds at the same time.

"I'm sorry, Alex," she whispered, her voice barely audible.

"For what?"

She turned to the right and saw him lounging up against a display of cases of soda arranged to resemble an igloo. She moved closer to him as she nodded at her brother and his wife. "That I fought against us being together for so long. We had so little time together."

"I'm not," he said, reaching out to brush his fingers against her cheek. "You needed to be sure before you could open yourself up like that. We did have too little time together, but that time meant more to me than anything else, Isabel."

She could feel the threat of tears as she thought about Prom night. She had allowed him to have a part of her that she had never given Jesse access to.

"Christmas stockings," he said out of the blue.

Her head snapped up and her brows pulled together in a frown. "What?"

"The others are headed this way." He tapped the flyer she still held, drawing her attention to the picture of Christmas stockings. "When they offer you that little bit of cinnamon roll… eat it."

"But I don't…"

"I miss things like taste on this side." His gray eyes twinkled as he watched her debating whether what he was saying was true or not.

"What're you doing over here, Isabel?" Maria asked as they joined her.

"I was just checking out these Christmas stockings," she said, showing them the flyer. "They're on sale and I think we should buy some."

"Oh, cool." She held out a little square napkin with the cinnamon bite sitting at its center. "Here, we brought one for you."

Max watched her as she looked back at the display for a moment before a soft smile lifted her lips. He shook his head when she nodded to herself before taking the sweet offering and thanking Maria for thinking of her. Some days he had no idea what was going on in his sister's mind.

"Oh, look, they have a jewelry case at this Walmart," Liz said.

He followed along when she took off, drawn to the glass cases like a raven to shiny things. He listened with interest as the girls debated gold, white gold, platinum, and sterling silver. These things only interested him as far as they might influence future gifts for his wife so he endured an insufferable amount of time taking mental notes.

Isabel paid little attention to the jewelry as she watched a couple across from her. The man stood behind the woman, his arms wrapped around her and his chin resting on her shoulder as they looked at wedding band sets. Her gaze lowered to the woman's left hand and she smiled at the small diamond engagement ring that caught the light and sparkled.

Maria wandered away from the others when she spotted a small section of faux pearl bracelets, necklaces, and earrings. Her fingers traced over the glass above the earrings, looking up when an elderly woman behind the counter approached her.

"See something you like, dear?" she asked with a friendly smile.

She returned the woman's smile and nodded. "May I see the earrings?"

"An excellent choice." She unlocked the case and lifted the velvet box out, her hands trembling slightly as she placed them on the counter. "Every woman should have a string of pearls. Or a pair of pearl earrings if nothing else," she said with a wink.

"Oh, I have the earrings. Had them," she corrected herself as she gently ran her fingers over the earrings. "The genuine article too."

"You have a young man with taste then."

On the opposite side of the counter Isabel did her best to hold in her laughter at the mere thought of Michael having any taste where jewelry was concerned.

"A young man who is surprisingly thoughtful when he chooses to be," she said softly.

"Why don't I leave you to look at these for a moment? I have another customer to tend to and then I'll be right back."

"Thank you." Maria smiled as her eyes filled, the faux pearls blurring through the tears. She could recall her excitement the day Michael had presented her with the pearl earrings, quickly followed by the shock at the realization that the pearls were genuine and not fake. She hated that she hadn't thought to grab them the day they had fled Roswell. She rolled her eyes as she thought about the fuss she had made over Christmas presents and she sighed regretfully as she remembered the mess she had made of Christmas the year before. "Oh, Michael," she whispered as she placed the earrings back on the counter, "all I want this Christmas is you."

"You guys think we can go check out the electronics department?" Max asked.

Isabel pulled her gaze away from Maria. She hadn't intended to witness the unguarded moment of vulnerability and she was sure it would make Maria uncomfortable if she were to realize that she had seen it. "Why?"

"Because as the only guy here I think it's only fair if we look at somethin' that interests me. Even if it's just for a few minutes."

"Well, it couldn't hurt to check out the music," she agreed. "That van only has a cassette deck in it and you know how limited music is for tapes these days."

They made their way to the back of the store where the electronics department was housed and Max wandered over to check out stereos and televisions while the girls set up camp in the music section.

"Couldn't find anything you liked in the tape selection Shane's aunt left in the van?" Liz asked, already knowing the answer.

"The Bee Gees? James Taylor?" She snorted and bypassed the relatively small selection of cassette tapes to flip through the much larger selection of CDs. "Please, my parents have better taste in music."

"Well, there're always radio stations," Maria suggested as she joined Isabel to check out the CDs. "Look, Liz!" She pulled a CD out and held it up. "Nelly Furtado, we got to see her sing, remember?"

Their matching smiles faded at the memory and with a quiet look at each other they resumed their search. Isabel wondered what the story was behind their sudden silence but she didn't pursue it because there was a very good chance she didn't want to know the answer.

Maria moved on, reaching the M section and flipping through several before she grabbed another one and held it up. She frowned at the black cover, squinting as she tried to make out the name of the band or the album. "I know this one," she muttered. "Why's it so hard to read?"

"You probably saw it in Michael's extensive Metallica collection," Max said helpfully as he came over to stand next to her.

"Look, Mommy, I found Daddy's present!" an excited little voice called.

Isabel turned to look at the little boy hurrying over to his mother, his arms wrapped around a box that contained a tool set, and she smiled. The woman crouched down next to her son, making the appropriate sounds of approval and complimenting his choice. She turned back to the music, but her interest in searching for something more along the lines of her taste had disappeared.

"Henry, we'll need at least one more 20-pound turkey."

"Diane," the man's voice was exasperated, "we have more than enough food to feed everyone you've invited.

She looked up when she heard the woman's name and her eyes immediately settled on the couple who looked to be in their early to mid-forties. The woman bore no resemblance to her mother but as she listened to them bicker over whether or not to purchase another Christmas turkey a wave of homesickness washed over her and she felt like she couldn't breathe.

Max looked up when his sister suddenly bolted and he dropped the CD he'd been looking at back in its slot. "I'll go after her."

"Do you want us to come with you?" Maria asked.

He looked away from her retreating back so he could face the girls. Michael would kill him if they separated and anything happened to Maria. "Stay close, just let me talk to her." He caught up with her in the parking lot, the lightly falling snow dotting her hair and coat. He could see her struggling to bring her breathing under control and he approached her slowly. "Isabel," he called quietly, "hey, you okay?" He reached out to touch her arm when he saw her swallow hard and he realized that she couldn't get the words past her throat. "Hey, it's gonna be okay." He leaned up against the wall beside her, his shoulder brushing against hers.

Isabel felt like her chest was going to burst as she shook her head in denial.

"Sure it is. C'mon, we've got each other. We've got Michael, his bad attitude, and the others. We survived the desert, didn't we? Huh? Survived grade school? Okay, you pretty much hit the schoolyard and took over, but we still survived." He was quiet a moment as he stared out into the parking lot and listened to her breathing. She was still on the verge of a major meltdown. "Want me to put on a pair of those reindeer antlers? I'm sure they sell 'em and they made you pretty happy when we were little, remember? I'll even wear the stupid bell for you."

She choked out a laugh that was tinged with an edge of hysteria.

"This sucks for all of us, Iz, but I know what Christmas means to you. I know how much it hurts you to be away from everything you know and love." He nodded when she shook her head and squeezed her eyes shut, knowing it wasn't so much a denial as it was a plea to change the subject. He reached up to rub his ear when it started to sting and he glanced around before looking at her again. "Hey, you remember that game we used to play? Mom and Dad would take us shopping at the Walmart back home and we'd pick out the weirdest shoppers in the store?" He nudged her with his shoulder. "C'mon, you remember, the one who picked out the most weirdly dressed shoppers would win. Check this one out over here to your left."

Isabel turned to look and she shook her head at the man's outfit. He was wearing a checkered flannel shirt and a pair of long red shorts over yellow tights.

"Now what's that all about, huh?" He grinned when she looked at him and he saw the small smile. "I'll bet you that damn jingle bell you won't find a shopper dressed worse than that."

Isabel suddenly turned and hugged him tightly. "Thanks, Max."

"I've got your back, Iz." He shook off the memory of a time when he had nearly destroyed their relationship. "Always."

"I know," she whispered. "And I've got yours."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The minutes were ticking by faster than Michael would've liked as he watched the clock in the shop. The only sounds in the shop were the tools against the engine and the occasional irritated curse coming from below the van. "So, what's goin' on with you an' Isabel?" he asked with all the subtlety of a jackhammer.

"Damn it, Guerin," Kyle muttered when he smacked his forehead against the bumper as he rolled out from under the van. Well, that helped the pounding headache that had started to recede to come right back to life. "There's nothin' goin' on between me and Isabel."

"Uh-huh." He bit off a hunk of the beef stick he had gotten out of the snack machine and braced his right hand on the van as he looked down at Kyle. "She's been pretty wound up."

Kyle snorted. "Yeah, you're one to talk about anyone bein' wound up." He ignored the dark look the other guy shot at him. "Look, it's Christmas, okay? You know how she gets this time of year."

"Yeah, but she's been a little… I don't know, more uptight than usual."

"It's her favorite time of year and she's away from her parents and everything she knows for the first time. That's hard enough when that happens because you're away at college, but this?" He shook his head and pulled a couple of tools out, handing one to Michael before disappearing beneath the van again.

"And it's not because there's anything goin' on between the two of you?"

Kyle rolled his eyes and locked the wrench into place around the bolt. _Michael was like a damn dog with a bone!_ "Thanks for the vote of confidence, but again, no, there's nothin' goin' on between us." He turned on a small flashlight and pointed it at another bolt. "Hey, use that wrench for somethin' besides s drumstick. See that bolt right there?" he asked as he directed the beam of light at a bolt.

Michael leaned as far into the engine compartment as he could and reached down to find the bolt, following Kyle's direction when he lost sight of it. "But you'd be okay with it if there was somethin' goin' on."

"Turn that bolt and stop flappin' your gums," Kyle grunted as he fought to turn the stubborn bolt.

"Stop flappin' my gums?" Michael repeated with a snort.

"Somethin' my granddad used to say when I was a kid and I was talkin' too much."

"How're you guys doin' over here?" Dean asked as he joined them.

"I think we've just about got these bolts ready to cooperate," Kyle said as he switched his wrench for a ratchet. He snapped on the appropriate socket and went to work on the loosened bolt. "Are we keepin' you from anything?"

"Nah, my girl's gonna swing by here in a bit to pick up her car and I thought if you boys were okay on your own I'd take her out to lunch."

"Go on, Dean, I think we're good to go." Kyle dropped the bolt in the pan next to his elbow and reached up to find the bolt he had told Michael to try and loosen. He locked the socket onto the bolt after pushing Michael's hand out of the way and started working it free.

"Cool, if you guys aren't too busy when she gets here I'll bring 'er over and introduce you."

Michael watched Dean as he retreated back to the office and he tapped the wrench against the engine absentmindedly.

"Hey, would you cut it out?" Kyle barked.

"So if it's not Isabel, what's keepin' you up all night?"

That brought Kyle out from under the van again and he glared up at Michael. "What?"

"Man, have you looked in a mirror lately?"

"Why? You lookin' for a date?" He eased back under the van and wondered why he had gotten stuck with Michael when he was in one of his rare talkative moods. "It's just insomnia, alright? It'll pass. And I'd like for it to pass without any further commentary on it."

Michael shrugged. "Whatever, man. We're runnin' outta time. We're supposed to be over at the Walmart by one o'clock so what d'you need me to do next?" He glanced at the clock again. He was ready to get this finished and get out of the shop. He didn't like that they were separated from the others and the longer they were separated the more anxious he was feeling.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Max was bored. He had been dragged through the cosmetics section and spent a good half hour watching the girls discuss makeup and the pros and cons of something he hadn't understood. Then they had spent at least 45 minutes checking out perfume before moving on to smell every single kind of body wash known to the Walmart world. He didn't know why there had to be like a hundred different kinds of soap and shampoo, but they had taken it upon themselves to not only test the scents, but then they had stood in a little group and actually discussed them. That had taken well over an hour.

When they headed for the clothes department he had grabbed a magazine off of a shelf that some other poor sap had left. It had been thumbed through repeatedly and he could only imagine another man stuck in shopping hell trying to lose himself in a magazine in a desperate escape from his reality. He had hung back when the girls had disappeared into the underwear department. He knew just enough about his sister's preferences to know that she wouldn't be caught dead shopping for underclothes at the local Walmart, and he didn't want to know anything about Maria's preferences.

That little slice of agony had lasted for more than two hours. Isabel had been a good sport for the rest of their little exploration, but now she was really getting into it. She was not a Walmart shopper; this was a huge step down for her. Granted, she had gotten a little more used to it over the past six months, but she was never going to develop a taste for the world frequented by the discount shopper. For the past hour they had been collectively ooh-ing and ah-ing over Christmas decorations. _How long could it possibly take to do whatever it was Kyle was doing?_ He didn't mind shopping with the girls, but this was going well above and beyond the call of duty.

When one o'clock had rolled around they had gone to the McDonalds to meet the guys but after half an hour of waiting he had gone to find a payphone and a phonebook. He had called the dealership and talked to Michael only to find out that his stay in purgatory had been extended because of some sort of mechanical problem. Kyle hadn't had an estimated time for the repair so they had been told to continue their shopping excursion and when the guys were finished they would meet them in the Christmas decorations department.

He shifted to change positions so the shelf digging into his back could dig in from another angle as he watched the girls going through the boxes of lights one by one. Maria and Liz had been extremely helpful and they were patiently taking each strand out of the box and unrolling them so Isabel could inspect them for defects. After 17 boxes only three had made it into the cart and he didn't even want to think of how many more they would go through before the requirement of 10 boxes had been met.

The girls were giving it everything they had but he could see that it was beginning to wear on them. Isabel was in her happy place though and after her earlier episode they had gone out of their way to occupy her mind and keep her from getting upset again. He rubbed the bridge of his nose and turned his head, coming nose to nose with a stuffed snowman. His eyes roved over the line of stuffed animals on the shelf and his right eyebrow lifted in interest when he saw the little white tag on the snowman's hand with little red letters that said 'press here'. He pushed the little tag and watched as the snowman came to life, dancing and singing _Frosty the Snowman_. He moved right down the line, pressing the little tag on all of them, reindeer, Santa Clause, snowmen, and even Christmas trees.

"Young man," a harried clerk said, her voice expressing barely concealed annoyance.

"Sorry." He cleared his throat and started pressing the buttons again to make the toys stop dancing and singing.

Liz came over to grab his hand, pulling him away from temptation and placing his hand on the cart. "Be still."

"I'm bored." He refused to think of just how whiny that sounded. He frowned when she rolled her eyes at him.

"Evans, what're you wearin'?"

He turned to see Michael and Kyle walking towards them and he unconsciously reached up to wrap his hand around the three jingle bells hanging from his neck. "Please tell me you guys are here because you're finished with the van and we can leave."

Maria leaned back to see Michael and she shook her head when she saw him carrying a sack from McDonalds and eating a double cheeseburger. He had a milkshake tucked under his arm and if she wasn't sure he had already dumped half a dozen packets of hot sauce into it she would've asked for a drink. Searching for perfect strands of light was exhausting and thirsty work.

"Hey," he said, leaning down to give her a kiss. He lowered his voice as he glanced at Isabel. "You look like you're ready for a break."

"We have seven more strands to find first."

"Great." He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a chocolate milkshake. "Here." He patted his shirt pockets and grabbed the straw he had put away. He glanced into the cart that Max was leaning on, frowning at the items piling up. "What exactly is all that crap? We didn't agree to spend – "

"Kyle did," Liz interrupted.

When Kyle and Michael both looked like they were about to respond to that Maria got their attention and made a sharp slicing motion below her chin. The guys exchanged a matching look of confusion before shrugging and nodding.

"How's the search for the perfect light strands goin'?" Kyle asked as he moved to stand beside Isabel.

"It's going." She motioned to the boxes of lights she still had to sort through. "I've only found three that are acceptable so far."

He studied her features for a moment before nodding and reaching for a box. "Let's get to work then." He could only assume from the look they had gotten from Liz and the gesture from Maria that something had happened.

Isabel covered his hand and met his gaze. "I picked up some cough medicine for you."

He smiled. "Thanks." He grabbed a couple of boxes, tossing one to Michael and another one to Max. "Here, let's knock this out." He lowered his head as he worked to undo the tabs at the opening of the box, using it as an excuse to close his eyes for a moment. His eyes stung as his closed lids allowed moisture to flood over his eyes but he knew it was only a brief reprieve. It wouldn't be long before they were dry and burning again.

"Hey, maybe we could have dinner together tonight," Maria suggested. "Just the six of us."

Michael was digging around in his takeout sack for a handful of French fries when she nudged him with her elbow. "Huh?"

"Dinner tonight, the six of us."

"Oh, well… who's cookin'?" he mumbled as he shoved the fries in his mouth.

"We are."

"We are? What, like me an' you?" He washed his fries down with his milkshake and nodded when she gave him the look. "Okay, but you're gonna owe me."

She just smiled and grabbed his collar to tug him down for a kiss. "I can live with that."

"Me too," he growled.


	43. Chapter 43

**Part 43**

Kyle rubbed his hands together in anticipation as he lurked behind Michael's right shoulder and watched every move he made. After more than half an hour of listening to Michael and Maria argue over what to cook for dinner he had been ready to head back to the cabin and leave them standing there. He wanted beef, she wanted chicken. He wanted something they could cook fast, and she wanted something tasty and filling, unconcerned with the amount of time it would take to cook. It was doubtful that they would've even noticed if the rest of them had just left them in the meat department as they argued over menu options. He had been on the verge of tackling Michael and forcibly taking the van keys from him when Liz had offered up three words that had paused the feud.

"_What about fajitas?"_

It had paused the feud momentarily anyway. That had sparked off a heated debate about steak versus chicken and as he had been waiting for the verbal tennis match to stop Max had jumped in and suggested they compromise and just make both. Luckily that had seemed to satisfy everyone concerned. Max and Liz had wandered off to find the tortillas while he and Isabel had taken off in search of fresh vegetables to go with dinner. She had been quieter than normal and he knew something had happened but he hadn't pushed, knowing she would talk to him when she was ready.

Everyone had seemed to relax until they had climbed back into the van to drive back to Stevens' Sanctuary. Silence had once again fallen over them as the close quarters had reminded them of their situation and their impending departure. It wasn't something any of them could forget for long but as the doors had closed, locking them in the increasingly shrinking space it had been an unpleasant and abrupt reminder that their reprieve was coming to an end. It was amazing just how quickly the mood could shift

The pervasive feeling had hung over them like a dark cloud as they had pulled up outside of Michael and Maria's cabin. He had used the excuse that he needed to clean up so he could escape and Isabel had caught up with him after a few minutes. Her excuse had been that she had the keys and he wouldn't be able to get in without them. A bald-faced lie. The keys had been in his pocket but he hadn't bothered disputing it later when they had gotten back to the others and Maria had asked him how long he'd had to wait before Isabel had arrived with the keys.

He had taken his time cleaning up while Isabel had used the opportunity to sleep for about an hour. They knew there was no rush to get back over there. Michael and Maria would bicker through the dinner preparations and they were perfectly content to work together without anyone else's help. He could understand that. He would've been content to work on the van without a certain hybrid's help earlier. Help that had cost them an extra two hours of work when Michael had gotten impatient and stripped out a bolt that was in a difficult place to reach.

He knew the time it had taken to make the repairs would save them time and money down the road, but explaining that to his companion had been a waste of time. Rationally, Michael might have known what he was saying was true, but the hours separated from the others had made him antsy and he had been irritable by the time they finally rolled out of the shop. It had been his idea to stop and grab something to eat but Michael had only agreed after they had walked all the way to the back of the store to check on the others. He had felt the easing of tension in his friend once Maria had been located and Michael had seen her goofing off with Max as she made him try on an elf hat.

He had known better than to comment on the slight smile that had momentarily erased the frown lines from Michael's features as he watched her. Once he was convinced that she was alright they had made the journey back to the front of the store to order a couple of cheeseburgers. He had left it alone when the hybrid ordered a chocolate milkshake and tucked it in his coat pocket. _No need to poke a sleeping bear_ he thought to himself.

"Hey, Valenti, you wanna stop breathin' down the back of my neck?" Michael growled as he turned the burner off and picked the frying pan up to empty the contents onto a waiting plate.

"I don't think he's tall enough for that," Max commented without looking up from the book he was reading.

"Sue me, I'm hungry," Kyle grumbled. "What can I do to help so we can move this along?"

Michael shook his head and smirked. That was pretty much what he had said to Kyle that afternoon when they had been working on the van. "We've got it covered. Just grab a seat at the table."

"You got more chairs around here somewhere?"

He turned and leveled a look at Kyle. "What you see is what you get. You an' Max go over and get the trunk at the end of the bed. Two of you can sit on it and the other two can use the chairs."

"There're six of us."

"Uh-huh." Michael popped a piece of chicken in his mouth and chewed it as he turned and motioned to the two armchairs in the living area currently occupied by Isabel and Liz. "Me an' Maria will sit over there."

"Hey, I thought you didn't want chicken," Maria said as she pushed his hand away from the dish. "Stick to your steak."

"I cooked it, didn't I?"

"So? I cut up all the vegetables."

"That I also cooked." He stared her down. "Next?"

"I should just make you sleep in one of those chairs tonight."

He just smirked at that. "You can try." He leaned in to kiss her. "But we both know better."

Maria rolled her eyes at his know-it-all tone and let it go. For the past couple of hours she had been working on getting him to relax again. He hadn't been happy about the amount of time he and Kyle had spent at the shop and she knew being out of contact for so long had been enough to put him on edge. She had seen the telltale signs of tension settling over him as he covertly checked out the cameras following the shoppers' moves as they navigated the store. It had only worsened once they had gotten back into the van and by the time they had pulled up next to the cabin she had known he was contemplating how soon they could leave.

She knew it was their reality. They would have to pick up and move on soon but she really wanted to stay off the road just a little bit longer. At least through Christmas. But she could see the wheels turning as he weighed the risks and she knew it was going to come up sometime that night, and when it did she had a feeling it wasn't going to go well. After Isabel's earlier meltdown she knew hearing that they needed to leave wasn't going to be received well. Max and Liz were just starting to unwind and they were finally getting to a place where the lines of communication were really being opened up between them again. She and Michael still needed more time to find the balance in their relationship and sort out some old issues. She glanced at Kyle as he and Max moved the trunk and she wondered if he would side with Michael about leaving. Her gaze moved to Isabel. If he was as attuned to the tall blonde's moods the way she believed he was he would attempt to talk Michael into staying a while longer. Would it make a difference? Or would the opposition only convince him that they were becoming too relaxed and opening themselves up to potential threats?

Normally Kyle could be counted on to make a rational argument but she knew the past couple of days he hadn't been feeling well. He had snapped at them several times the day before and he had been grumpy; behaviors that were unusual for him. Maybe after dinner and then taking some of the medicine Isabel had picked up for him he'd feel better. His appetite was making a reappearance so that had to be a good sign. She wasn't certain Michael would wait until after dinner to bring it up though.

She grabbed a dishtowel and nudged Michael out of the way so she could open the oven door and pull out the foil-wrapped tortillas. She slid them on the stovetop and carefully unwrapped them before checking the Spanish rice in the pot on the back burner. "Michael, if you'll grab the salad out of the fridge, I think we're ready to eat."

Michael set the salad on the counter and grabbed the top plate off of the stack, handing it to Kyle before motioning to the food. "Knock yourself out." He knew Maria would wait until the others had their food before she helped herself so he leaned back against the counter and waited with her. He watched Kyle fix the plate, lifting an eyebrow when he piled the pico de gallo on the chicken and steak fajita before dousing it with hot salsa and sprinkling a little sugar over the top. He knew the plate was for Isabel; Kyle had developed a taste for the sweet/spicy mix but he wouldn't mix steak and chicken.

Wordlessly he handed over another plate and watched as Kyle filled it before carrying both of them over to the table. He set them down before going over and getting Isabel to let her know dinner was ready. Once more he wondered what had happened at the store to cause her current mood but he bit his tongue before he could let the question slip out.

"Maria, is this…?"

His attention was drawn away from Isabel and Kyle when Liz spoke up and he glanced at the girls as they discussed the dressing Maria had made for the salad. It was her mom's recipe and her eyes had shimmered with tears more than once while she had been making it and telling him how much he would love it. He hadn't loved it. She had fed him a small bite of the salad so he could taste it and it had taken a monumental effort not to spit it right back out. He had forced it down and nodded in agreement when she had asked if he thought it was the best homemade dressing he'd ever had.

He listened to the conversation around him throughout dinner, contributing little as he worked his way through three fajitas, rice, and chips and salsa. He had managed to avoid having to eat anymore of the salad and Maria hadn't commented on it. They had turned his chair around so that they were facing the others and she had made herself comfortable in his lap. He knew she was aware of his silence and more than once he had caught her watching him when she thought he wasn't looking. She was waiting for him to bring up what was on his mind even though the slight hum of tension he could feel in her told him she didn't want to hear it.

He set his plate on the end table and cleared his throat.

Five pairs of eyes locked on him and the apprehension in the room skyrocketed. Food that just moments before had been appetizing and packed with flavor suddenly felt like sawdust in their mouths and lead in their stomachs as they waited for him to speak.

"It's time to leave."

"Wait, Michael," Maria interrupted. "We can't just leave."

He shook his head at her as his jaw clenched and he turned his head to look at Isabel. "This thing goes down on Saturday, right? We leave on Sunday." The silence was like a living thing as it settled over them and he felt his temper spike in response. "Look, don't make me the bad guy here. This was never gonna be a permanent thing. We're on the run from the FBI. You do remember that, don't you? The same guys who ambushed us at graduation? The same guys who ambushed us again in Oregon?"

Kyle shot a glance at Isabel at the reminder. It was after the run-in with the Special Unit back at the end of July that she had seen Alex again. The first couple of months they'd had several close calls but that one had been the worst. It had only been a small unit of three agents but they had caught up with them at a hotel outside of Happy Valley, Oregon. The hotel had been on the outer edge of the small town; old but clean and it had at least offered a hot shower and a warm place to sleep. Liz had woken from a nightmare that had turned out to be a premonition in the early hours of the morning just as the agents had busted down the door.

_They had been armed to the teeth, coming through the door and hitting both Max and Isabel with tranquilizer darts within the first few seconds. The only thing that had saved them that night was the fact that Michael and Maria had opted to sleep in the van just to get a break from the others. He had come through the door just as the agents had realized that they only had four of their subjects in custody but before they could report in he had blasted them across the room. He had disarmed them and Kyle had helped him to tie them up and blindfold them. His movements had been sluggish as he tried to work through the drug they had shot him up with, but he had fought its effects._

"_Find their car, Kyle." He had grabbed him by the shoulders, shaking him and then smacking him hard across the face. "Hey, shake it off and get with the program."_

_He had followed Michael's instructions, finding the agents' vehicle not far away and using the keys he had taken from one of them to move it up close to their room. Michael had taken out a couple of the weak bulbs along the walkway and they had herded the agents to the car, shoving them into the backseat. They had taken all of the communications devices off of the agents, destroying them before taking their weapons and discarding them. He and Maria had helped Michael get Max, Liz, and Isabel into the van and then he had handed the keys over to Michael, nodding when the other guy told him to ride with Maria and for them to follow him._

_They had zigzagged across several counties before backtracking and dumping the car with the restrained agents less than 20 miles from the hotel. He had taken over driving, staying on the move for nearly 21 hours, following Maria's navigational skills as she took them through Oregon, Nevada, up into Idaho, and then back down into Utah before they had stopped to rest at a remote campsite in Cache National Forest. With the others groggy and sleeping off the effects of whatever they had been doped up with there had been no way to alter the appearance of the van. Michael had given it a shot but he had ended up leaving it splotchy and discolored and he had melted the license plate because his adrenaline was running so high. The only good thing about that was it looked like the old bucket of bolts it was and no one really gave it a second glance. The license plate had been switched out with one of the spares they had collected as they moved from state to state._

_They had been silent as they set up camp, but the tension had been seething below the surface. It was the closest they had come to falling into their pursuers hands and they had nearly lost their tenuous grasp on freedom. Maria had worked on making dinner while Michael oversaw the tent setup and paced around the perimeter. It was during dinner that Max had spoken up. The night was dark, the only light coming from the fire crackling in the center of their circle._

"_That stuff they hit us with… it's some kinda suppressant the Special Unit created." He flexed his right hand, staring at it as if it belonged to someone else. "The effects wear off in time. Physically there are no lasting effects."_

"_Max, just drop it," Isabel snapped. "Let's not talk this into the ground. It happened and we escaped, now let it go."_

_Michael had finished chewing his last bite before he threw his plate on the ground. "We're not gonna sit around and fight about this. Last night was close and we didn't escape by much. We're all tired and we need to get some sleep. We can't risk stayin' here for long. When the sun comes up we're outta here."_

"_No! No, I'm not getting back in that van!" Isabel yelled as she threw her own plate down and shot to her feet. "I'm sick of running, I'm sick of living like this, and I'm sick of all of it! I want out. I don't even care if they catch me anymore!"_

"_You don't know what you're saying," Max insisted._

"_Max, man, let it go," Kyle interrupted. She was upset and scared, she wasn't thinking about what she was saying._

"_You have no idea what you're saying!" Max exploded angrily._

_Isabel rushed her brother, her intent to make him shut up, but before she could get her hands on him Kyle got between them. It took everything he had to pull her away because she fought him tooth and nail. Luckily her powers hadn't come back online yet because if they had she might've hurt him unintentionally._

"_Max, let's just take a walk," Liz said, hoping to calm him down. "We all need to cool down and she's just really upset right now."_

_Maria had watched the others, her insides churning at just how close they had come to capture the night before. She turned her head to the side when Michael got up and went to the van, knowing he couldn't deal with the rest of them breaking down right now. She got to her feet and followed him after a few minutes, having no idea what to say to help him. He had been against them staying at the hotel the night before but with all the rain they had needed to be inside and out of the elements._

_He had shoved the side door open and sat down on the floorboard and she frowned when he reached around and pulled something from the waistband of his jeans. Her eyes widened when the moonlight glinted off of the gun in his hand and she shook her head. "What're you doing with that, Michael?"_

"_It's called protection," he ground out, his fingertips gliding over the barrel. He leaned his head against the door and he looked years older than 19 as he stared out into the night. "What if they'd gotten me with that crap they shot the others up with?" He thumped his forehead against the frame and sighed raggedly. "They would've had us. Hell, they almost had us anyway. If we'd stayed in the room…"_

"_But we didn't, Michael." She shook her head. "You can't just keep that thing. Even if you have a valid argument, if we ever had to use it they could trace it back to one of those agents and they'd know we're the ones who have it."_

_Back at camp Kyle was still fighting to control Isabel but the adrenaline was pumping through her veins and it wasn't easy. "Isabel, listen to me," he growled, "I know this's hard, but you can't give up, do you hear me?"_

"_What's the point?" she screamed. "We've left everything behind, everyone we love, everything we know… and this's all we have now. Running for our lives and being hunted like animals, and I'm sick of it. I'm tired of living like this. I miss my parents and I want my life back."_

_Kyle could hear the defeat in her voice and he could feel the fight going out of her. "Don't give up on me now, Isabel." He dragged her with him as he moved closer to their tent, sticking his foot inside and pulling his sleeping bag out. He kicked it open and dropped down when she collapsed against him, taking the brunt of their combined weight with his shoulder and back. He settled on his side and held her tightly, his heart breaking with every sob torn from her body. It was the first time she had broken down since they had left and he was sure it was long overdue._

_It had happened when she started to calm down. She lay there in Kyle's arms, emotionally spent and feeling horrible when she felt the lightest brush of a touch against her hand. She lifted her red, swollen eyes to look into a pair of concerned gray eyes that watched her with a mixture of worry and sadness._

"_Alex," she whispered, her voice rough._

"_You've had a pretty rough 24 hours," he said, gently brushing her hair back. He glanced up to see the concern in Kyle's expression as he looked around but after a moment the guy settled back into his uncomfortable position, quietly murmuring words of comfort. "You're gonna be okay, Isabel. I know how rough this is on you and I know how much you've given up, but don't throw the towel in now. That's not who you are." He smiled faintly. "You're a fighter and you're not gonna let a bunch of fanatics take that away from you." He reached out to nudge her chin up, forcing her exhausted gaze to his. "Hey, promise me."_

"_Don't leave me again, Alex," she whispered tiredly._

"_Promise for a promise?" he cajoled._

_A ghost of a smile crossed her features and her hand curled around his. "Promise."_

_Kyle had a feeling it was the stress that had brought Alex back into her life. She had needed that connection with home and it had appeared in the form of someone she trusted, someone she could see… someone she had needed badly to see in order to calm down. He had never seen Alex and he didn't know what the others would say if they were aware that she not only saw him but also had conversations with him._

_Sometimes he thought maybe she was the most rational of all of them._

He could feel the tautness in Isabel and he braced his elbow on the table, dropping his forehead into his hand so he could press against the bridge of his nose. For a moment the pressure helped to ease the headache that had exploded behind his eyes again and then the relief took a flying leap out the nearest window. He could still remember how hysterical she had been that night and that protective streak that surfaced when she was hurt or distraught kicked in.

"Michael's right," he said finally and beside him Isabel stiffened even more. He shifted and pressed his thigh against hers as he lifted his head to look at the others. "I do agree that stayin' in one place too long is risky, but we could get caught out on the road just as easily as we could get caught here. Somethin' as routine as a damn traffic stop could put us in danger." He glanced at Isabel, checking her reaction as he continued. "Look, all I'm sayin' is that the Stevens family has taken us in despite our admittedly shaky cover story, and we haven't seen a single cop in the time that we've been here."

Michael nudged Maria, standing up as soon as she was off of his lap. "Have you noticed what this place and old Mr. Tony's place have in common?" He put his plate in the sink, uncaring of the racket he was making. "One-way driveways, people! If we get boxed in it's an indefensible position."

Maria moved towards him, cornering him in the tiny kitchen. "Michael," she said, her voice low, "the people here are grateful that we're here to keep their little community tradition alive. It was hard for them losing Mr. Tony the way they did and this has done so much for them. Do you really think it'd be a good idea for the FBI to show up and run us out in front of all these people?"

"Maria," Michael growled as he leaned in close to her, "do you honestly think the people hunting us give a damn about who's around when they come after us? These people operate outside the realm of laws and regulations."

"We need this," she said quietly. "It's not just about getting out of that van."

"The longer we stay here the bigger the risk – " His head turned sharply when someone knocked on the door and his eyes lowered to the doorknob that for the first time wasn't being braced with one of the kitchen chairs.

"You hold it."

"No, you hold it."

Maria smiled softly at the back and forth banter between the Stevens brothers. "Let the boys in, Spaceboy."

"Here, Maggie, you hold it and…"

Michael went to open the door, interrupting Eddie's instructions to his little sister. His gaze moved over them, taking in the pie that the boys obviously didn't want to be seen carrying and he reached out to steady it in Maggie's gloved hands when she lifted one side too high and nearly tipped it over. He smiled in response when she looked up at him and grinned widely. "Hi, Michael. Mama made apple pie; it's for you an' Maria, and Max an' Liz, an' Kyle an' Isabel."

Eddie made a show of sniffing the air as he tried to squeeze his way past Michael. "Wow, somethin' smells really good. What'd you have for dinner?"

Michael shifted, blocking the walking hormone. _Not that smooth, kid, keep working on it,_ he thought.

Maria nudged Michael out of the way, rolling her eyes at his alpha dog stare-down contest with a boy Eddie's age. "We had fajitas for dinner," she said, the word rolling off of her tongue with a musical inflection.

Maggie wrinkled her nose at the unfamiliar word. "We had what Mama calls seefood with apple pie for dessert."

She rested her hand on Michael's arm, sliding it from shoulder to elbow and back again in a soothing manner as she grinned at the kids. "My mom had that a lot at our house too." She shot a look at the man beside her when he didn't relax much in spite of her ministrations. His gaze was still locked on Eddie and it wasn't wavering in the least. Her hand slid down over his forearm, seeking out his hand and lacing their fingers together. "Michael, it's cold out there. Let's move out of the way so they can come in."

Michael wondered if she had any idea whatsoever what she had just done to the kid gaping at her. All she had to do was breath to have the kid's attention, but tossing out that answer in response to Eddie's question about dinner and adding the sexy accent to her voice? She was gonna have the kid's hormones in overdrive.

Eddie was just about to ask Maria if she liked apple pie when Brian suddenly blocked him from entering behind Maggie. He aimed a solid punch at his brother's shoulder and grunted when Brian shot back with an elbow in his chest.

Brian glanced at Michael, measuring his expression. He sidestepped to let his brother enter the cabin, hissing at him as he walked past, "Knock it off, doofus." _What a moron! The least he could do was learn a few things from him! Did he act like a doofus when Stefanie was around? No, he played it cool._ He shoved Eddie inside and then turned to Michael. "So, Dad has the outside lights on over at the hockey rink at Mr. Tony's and he wanted us to come over and see if you guys wanted to take some practice shots at the net."

Maria elbowed Michael. "Why don't you and Max go play for a while?" She glanced over at Kyle and nodded when she saw him shake his head. "You can leave Kyle here with us, we'll be fine."

"Yeah, I'm not much of a skater," Max spoke up.

Kyle snorted at that. "Have you seen El Capitan's face, El Presidente?" He picked at the bits of steak that were scattered around his plate, pushing them into a happy face.

Michael narrowed his eyes at his friend. "Valenti, if you didn't already look like you'd taken a beating, I'd be kicking your a-" He reached up to rub his ear when Maria gave it a vicious flick. "Ow! What now?"

Maria leaned over to take the pie out of Maggie's hands. "Remember your P's and Q's," she said with an unsubtle nod at the little girl. "We have little people company."

"Valenti, you don't wanna hit the ice?" he asked, going back to his original topic.

"When there's perfectly good hot apple pie up for grabs?" Kyle glanced at Maria. "Can I go on the assumption that you have ice cream to go with it?"

"Is there any other way to have hot apple pie?"

He shook his head, hiding a wince when he felt the stiffness reasserting itself. "Nope."

Max shifted unconsciously as his gaze bounced around the room. "Pie can be reheated," he muttered.

"Max."

He held his hands up at the warning in his wife's tone. "Fine, stay here and eat pie." Suddenly he had the urge to beat the crap out of something and in the absence of anything else he'd settle for slapping around a damn hockey puck.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Kyle was slouched down in Michael's chair, his eyes following the movement on the television screen without really realizing it. He had been left alone with the girls and they were in the kitchen talking to each other about Christmas with Maggie chiming in from time to time about the dog she was sure she was getting. Because, after all, Michael knew Santa Claus and he had promised to make sure her picture got to the jolly old elf.

He listened to the conversation with half an ear, smiling when Isabel laughed at the way Maggie described something in reference to Michael. The little girl adored the moody hybrid and when she was around he relaxed and opened up in a way that was endearing. At least that was what the girls said. Michael was a great friend and he was loyal to a fault, but he wasn't sure he would ever use the word endearing to describe anything he did. He snorted softly to himself at that thought and leaned his head back against the chair as he closed his eyes.

"Kyle, don't you wanna come have some pie an' ice cream? Daddy says it'll cure what ails ya," she said with a big grin when he opened one eye to look at her.

"He does, huh?"

"Uh-huh. That means if you feel bad it'll make you feel better." She crossed her arms on the armrest and leaned her weight on it as she studied him. "I think you need a really big piece of pie."

"Hook me up with two scoops of ice cream on top of that big piece of pie and you've got yourself a deal," he said with a forced smile. As much as he loved hot apple pie and ice cream he really didn't want it. But when she gave him a big smile and patted his arm he knew he'd force it down. He looked over his shoulder when she scampered off to tell the girls how to make his dessert. He winced at the shrill sound of her excited voice when they began to discuss Christmas again and he considered just turning around and burying his face in the cushions to stop the sound.

"Hey, if you don't really want pie and ice cream it's okay," Isabel said as she leaned against the back of his chair.

Kyle tipped his head back where it was resting in one corner and glanced up at her. "I'll be fine. Who knows, maybe it'll help."

"Okay, if you're sure." She turned her head when Maria squeezed in beside her and she reached out to rest the back of her hand against his forehead.

"Maria," Kyle groaned, "I'm not five years old." He pushed her hand away and made a face at the water droplets she had left on his forehead. "What're you doin' touchin' me with wet hands?"

She rolled her eyes at his grumbling. "Well, in spite of your grumpy mood you're not running a fever."

"Thanks, Mom, I already knew that."

She stuck her tongue out at him and flicked his ear before running back over to give Liz and Maggie a hand.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Michael was slightly bent over, the blade of his stick impatiently tapping against the ice when his good buddy Max completely overlooked him and took a swing at the defenseless puck. He winced at the force behind the shot as he straightened up a bit to skate over and join his friend. It was safer for him to skate since Max wasn't that steady on his feet. "So, Evans, you wanna tell me what's eatin' your lunch?"

"Nothin'," Max bit out as he cautiously skated over to retrieve the puck from the net.

"If I notice it, you know the girls are probably discussin' it to death. Whatever your issue with Kyle is, you'd better just face up to it and get it outta the way." He skated a circle around Max and on his next pass he reached out with his stick to steal the puck. "Deal with it before we climb back in the van, that's all I'm sayin'."

"Why don't you quit giving me advice?" Max huffed as he chased after the nosy hybrid. "You think just because I stepped down I need you to tell me what to do?"

"You threw in the crown, remember?"

Max slowed down and glanced at the boys and Edward where they were taking practice shots at the opposite end. "You gonna throw that in my face for the rest of my life?"

"Let me remind you again that I never needed or wanted the king," he said as he slowed his pace and used his stick to knock the puck back and forth. He looked at Max and shook his head. "We never needed that shit to define us, we never needed it to tell us what to do… we figured that out on our own, remember? Who we are is ingrained in us without titles."

"Then why bring it up? Don't you think I have a detailed list of every damn thing I've done wrong since all of this started?"

Michael frowned at him. He hadn't brought it up. "My point is whatever's goin' on between you and Valenti needs to be settled. There's enough pressure in this group, and all keepin' a lid on it does is make for a bigger explosion. You an' Liz, you an' Kyle… whatever it is, deal with it before we get back in that van."

"What makes you think one issue has anything to do with the other?" Max asked with a frown.

"I don't know or care if they do. What I'm tellin' you is this Christmas thing is comin' to an end, and when it does, we'll be piling in that tin can and hauling ass outta here. If we don't get shit settled we're gonna be at each other's throats before we hit the state line."

"Hey, Michael," Brian yelled, "c'mon, let's play!"

Michael skated backwards a few feet and lifted his stick to poke Max in the chest. "Get it settled, that's all I'm sayin'." He jerked his stick back when Max reached out to smack it away and he hit an uneven spot on the ice.

Max shook his head and smirked when Michael hit the ice. "Maybe Maria can kiss your boo-boo and make it all better," he said smugly as he leaned on his stick and looked down at Michael.

"Bite me, jackass." He grunted when he tried to sit up and his back protested. "Gimme a hand." As soon as he had a solid grip on Max's hand he gave it a jerk, pulling him off of his feet and sending him skidding across the ice. _And that's just another advantage of being the soldier over the king,_ he thought smugly. While Liz was busy fawning all over Max and murmuring sweet nothings in his ear over the new scrape on his forehead, Maria would be giving him a backrub that would inevitably lead to sex. "And they say it's good to be king," he snickered as he got to his feet and hauled Max up. He snagged the puck with the tip of his stick and took off down the ice, grinning at the sound of muttered cursing as Max wobbled his way down the ice behind him. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure his friend hadn't fallen too far behind and snapped off a sloppy salute. "Let's go, Max. I'll do my best to make sure you don't end up with your nose matching your forehead."

"What's wrong with my forehead?" Max demanded as he reached up to press against it. He winced at the slight burning sensation.

"Nothin', just a bit red. We don't want you lookin' too much like that reindeer of yours."

Max shoved Michael with his elbow as he passed him. "Try to keep up, Michael."

Michael grinned and took up the chase. He was gonna wipe the ice with Max just for that comment.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Isabel sat at the table after the last of the dishes had been washed. Kyle had left a few minutes ago to walk Maggie back up to the main house. Her eyes locked on the velvety soft stocking she held in her left hand. The fingertips of her right hand played over the pure white ruff at the top of the stocking before she slowly drew out her name and she smiled faintly as it appeared in a vibrant green complete with silver sparkles embedded into the color. Satisfied with it she picked up the next one and repeated the procedure, frowning when the K came out slightly sideways. She waved her hand over it, clearing the surface and starting again.

"Maybe not in purple," Kyle spoke up from behind her. He had come inside a few moments ago, watching her as she tried varying shades of the color.

She lifted her head to shoot a small smile at him before changing the color to a deep blue. "How's that?" she asked, holding it up.

"Better." He looked past her to watch Maria and Liz for a minute. They fell into sync with each other so effortlessly and he wished Isabel had just a piece of that ease with them. He caught Maria's eye when she laughed at something Liz said, turning to flick water from her fingertips at her best friend.

"What color were you thinking about for Michael's stocking?" Maria asked as she came over to the table, drying her hands off.

Isabel looked up, shrugging one shoulder. "I'm not sure yet." She wrinkled her nose. "I can tell you that it won't be black."

"You could always make his stocking black and then the black letters wouldn't stick out so badly."

"I could also shave my head and join a cult but I'm not gonna do that either."

Maria stuck her tongue out at the tall blonde before tossing the dishtowel on the counter and sitting at the table. "That's a relief. I don't think it'd be a very good look for you."

"I'm pretty sure that whole cult thing's overrated anyway," Liz commented as she joined them, sitting across from Isabel and pulling her feet up to rest on the edge of her seat. "I don't see you ever conforming like that."

Isabel snorted. "Never."

"Not to mention all those crazy wacko cults always have like some guy running things and nine times out of ten he's sleeping with like, all the women in the cult," Maria added and shuddered for effect. "And seriously, these guys have to have some sort of mind control going on because have you ever noticed what they look like?"

Kyle wondered how they'd gotten off on this tangent as he rolled his eyes. It was only a matter of time before this conversation turned into one of those 'all men are pigs' rants and he'd just as soon not be there for it. His brain wasn't firing on all cylinders and he just wasn't in the right frame of mind to keep up with them. He rolled his shoulders as he moved across the room to pull the door open. "Okay, girls, this is where Kyle calls it a night."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Kyle leaned back against the door, eyes closed as he absorbed the silence. He rubbed his temples before opening his eyes and giving himself a push to get moving. He turned on the lamp by the couch, cursing under his breath and turning it right back off when pain exploded in his sensitive eyes. He was exhausted; his body ached, his eyes felt dry and light made them hurt, and his head hurt like it had never hurt before.

He waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness, letting the moonlight streaming in through the windows provide him with enough light to see by. He took his boots off and shrugged out of his outerwear, sloppily hanging it up and then turning back around. He sighed and glanced around the room, shooting a dismissive glance at the television before wandering into the kitchen to root around for the candles he had run across the day before.

As he struck a match and set the flame to the wick his gaze was drawn to the flickering light and he found himself mesmerized by it. His gaze went out of focus as he stared at it and he quickly shook his hand to extinguish it when the flame crawled up the small wooden stick to lick at his fingertips. He disposed of the burnt matchstick and brought his fingertips to his mouth, blowing on them for a moment as he carried the candle to his room. He pulled one of the drawers out of the dresser and flipped it over in the center of the floor. He went back into the kitchen to grab the other two candles, and paused in the living room long enough to snatch one of the cushions off of the loveseat. He dropped the cushion on the floor of his room in front of his makeshift altar and set up the other two candles before lowering himself to sit down.

He winced at the stiffness in his muscles as he folded his legs, pulling them in towards him and resting his hands on his knees. He deliberately slowed his breathing, closing his eyes and concentrating on the steady beat of his heart as each breath came closer to falling into sync with his heartbeat. He opened his mental doors, feeling the cobwebs blow away as he slowly felt himself finding his center again.

Inhale positive… exhale negative… inhale positive… exhale negative. He welcomed the calm that fell over him and he inhaled deeply, holding his breath for the space of one long heartbeat before releasing it again. In his minds' eye he could see the kitchen at home, could smell the slightest hint of Dad's spicy chili – guaranteed to induce a monster case of heartburn – and he looked down as he shifted and felt the give in that one loose tile. He smiled at the familiarity of the memory and the aches and pains fell away as he heard boots scuffing against the floor and as he turned his head to see his dad enter the room he suddenly felt as if someone were pushing him underwater.

His heart started to jackhammer as he really took in his surroundings. Confusion welled up in him when his dad looked directly at him and he fought to understand what was happening. He tried to shake his head and he felt like he couldn't move when his dad suddenly spoke, his voice hushed.

"Kyle?" The senior Valenti ran his hands over his eyes and squinted in an effort to prove that what he was seeing was true. "Son?"

This isn't happening, Kyle thought as panic warred with the craving for safety and love that his father represented. His eyes stung and he realized that they were filling of their own accord as he took a stumbling step forward. "Dad?"

The feeling of pressure, of being pushed underwater, began to build again, but before it could swallow him whole he suddenly experienced the sensation of falling backwards. He shut his eyes tightly, hoping to stop the feeling and hold onto this moment with his dad but as it abated he opened them again. Disappointment flooded his entire being when his moist eyes scanned the inside of the cabin he shared with Isabel.

He scrambled to his feet, just barely avoiding knocking his alter over in his haste to get upright. "Shit!" He stumbled backwards, his hip banging against the table. He had to jerk around to avoid upsetting the sewing machine that he had carted down from the main house not that long ago.

"Kyle?"

He jerked around when he heard Isabel speak, wondering how long she had been standing there. It just barely registered that the door was still open and she wasn't even all the way inside as she watched him with concern in her eyes.

Isabel frowned and studied him as she slowly moved into the cabin and closed the door without taking her eyes off of him. "Are you alright?"

He was trembling on the inside and hoping to Buddha that it wasn't showing on the outside as he steadied his stance and leveled out his voice. "Nah, I'm good."

"You sure?"

He nodded. "Positive." He moved so that he was blocking the doorway to his room, hoping if she noticed the light from the candles that she wouldn't mention it.

In spite of her desire to pry she let it go, giving him a bit of the care he showed her by dropping the subject and nodding.

"Michael or Max walk you back here? I didn't hear them."

"No, they hadn't come back when I left. I walked with Liz until we split up to go to our own cabins."

He nodded. "I'm gonna go out for a bit, take a walk and clear my head." He sat down to pull his boots on and then moved to the door to grab his coat and shrug into it. "I've got the keys, so don't wait up for me, okay?"

Isabel watched him for a moment, wanting to demand that he tell her what was wrong but knowing he would tell her when he was ready. "Okay. I was just gonna get something to drink and maybe watch something on TV." She glanced at it and made a face. "Well, if anything's on."

"The weather channel's pretty reliable," he said with a roll of his eyes. "I'll be back in a while." He was out the door before she could respond.


	44. Chapter 44

Author's Note: A small scene in this part was borrowed from the Season Two Roswell episode How the Other Half Lives. Part 44

Isabel was still staring at the door five minutes after it closed behind Kyle. She was finally pulled out of her musings when she became aware of a flickering light coming from his room. She moved to his doorway and looked around, taking in the cushion belonging to the loveseat and the candles resting on an upended drawer. She entered his room and blew the candles out, putting them aside and replacing the drawer before picking the cushion up and carrying it out into the living area. She wedged it back into place on the loveseat before sitting down to stare at the blank television screen.

She reached for the remote, not to turn the television on, but just to have something in her hands. She turned it over and over as she thought about Kyle and wondered what was bothering him. He never complained, not even now when something was so obviously wrong with him. It had become noticeable the past couple of days. He was so laid-back and easygoing that when he was grumpy or snapping at people it was impossible to miss. It seemed strange that a simple cold would affect him so badly. She worried her thumbnail with her teeth as her thoughts started off on another, darker course. _What if wasn't just a cold? What if there was something seriously wrong with him?_

She had just assumed it was a cold. His lack of sleep, the irritability, the headache that seemed to be hanging on in spite of his efforts to rid himself of it. Maybe she should've just asked Max to do something, fix whatever was wrong. She didn't have that ability and she hadn't said anything to her brother because there was something there that she couldn't quite get a grip on. He seemed to have some kind of issue with Kyle and the last thing she wanted to do was make it any worse. She couldn't imagine that he wasn't aware of it but Kyle had never mentioned it. Whatever the problem was Max hadn't brought it up in front of anyone else. She sighed and shook her head. Maybe it was time to dreamwalk her brother, see if she could figure out what his issue with Kyle was.

_It was like some sort of curse,_ she thought. Every guy she ever got close to ended up getting hurt… or worse. "Why did you come with us, Kyle? You had your dad… you might've been safer if you'd stayed behind."

"He came because he's a good friend." Alex sat on the rickety coffee table in front of her and waited patiently for her to look at him.

Isabel shook her head as her mind wandered over the many times she had relied on Kyle. "This whole thing has been nothing but trouble for him, Alex. He could be in college right now, playing sports and going to parties. He's given up too much for this thing… for us. For me," she added quietly.

"Do you really think he'd trade this crazy, sometimes dangerous ride, just to be another glory hound out on a football field?"

"He'd be safer if he had."

"Safer isn't always the better option. Safer isn't necessarily living." He reached out to lift her chin so he could look into her eyes. "Safer isn't a guarantee, Isabel."

She covered his hand with hers, amazed at how real, how alive, he felt. "If he could go back and make a different choice…"

"He'd make the same choice," he said with certainty.

"You can't know that."

"I do know that." He was silent for a few moments, lost in thought. "Remember when we were searching for the Gandarium hive? Kyle and I ended up trapped beneath the surface when those vindictive blue crystals decided to take us hostage."

"More proof that neither of you ever should've been involved."

"Let me show you something." He smiled quietly. "You think given the chance he'd make a different decision?"

"Why wouldn't he? Alex, he's been shot and died, he's being hunted like some kind of fugitive, he's been shot up with drugs that we have no way of knowing if they have long-term side effects, he's been taken away from his dad and may never see him again… There's no way he'd turn down an opportunity to go back and make a different choice."

Alex just held his free hand out to her, nodding at her and indicating she should take it.

Isabel sighed and slid her hand into his, inhaling sharply and closing her eyes at the sudden flash of bright light. "What was that?" She blinked rapidly, trying to clear her spotty vision. As the black spots began to dissipate her surroundings came into focus and she frowned at the patches of blue crystals, pulsating with an otherworldly light. "Where are we?" She turned to follow his pointing finger and she froze when she saw him dropping down to stand next to Kyle.

He laughed in response to something Kyle said but there was the slightest hint of nervousness in his voice as he looked around. "Alright, Columbus. You claimed the land for the Queen of Spain. What do you say we go tell the others?" He turned when the sunlight from above was suddenly stamped out and his eyes widened when he saw the blue crystals moving across the hole they had used to access the nest. "Oh, oh no! Oh, oh…"

Kyle looked around, the beam of his flashlight bouncing erratically off of the walls. "I don't know why I'm looking around." He glanced at his companion. "I suppose stuff like this happens all the time. Right?"

Alex slowly turned his head to look up at the Gandarium covering their only means of escape. "Yeah, sure."

She watched them as they made contact with Liz and learned that their hybrid friends couldn't get through the crystals and she couldn't stop the laughter when the two of them started singing American Pie. She fought off the memories of where she had been at the time they discovered that cutting off the crystal's oxygen would kill the alien creatures. She was saved from that trip down memory lane when the scene shifted and the two guys were suddenly lying on the floor of the nest, staring up at the ceiling.

Alex waved his flashlight, sending the beam dancing over the walls and ceiling of the nest. "So this is how it ends…"

Kyle had been staring at some point on the far wall, illuminated by the beam of his own flashlight as he spoke up. "Somehow this is NOT how I pictured it."

"It was a hell of a ride though."

"I guess."

"I mean, think about it," Alex said with a small laugh. "We not only MET aliens, but they killed us." He didn't seem to notice when Kyle turned and swung the beam of his flashlight towards him. "How many people can say that?"

"You're getting delirious, is that it?"

"Nah, take… take a step away from your life, Kyle."

Isabel listened to his slow speech pattern and wondered if he had been suffering from oxygen deprivation.

"You know, I mean, you're part of this… this amazing thing. This… amazing knowledge that you HAVE that 6 BILLION people on this planet don't. You really want to step out of this cave if it meant that you were gonna be another dumb jock?"

The silence in the cave continued for several long seconds before Kyle answered him.

"You know what, I wouldn't."

It wasn't long after that something fell from the ceiling and Kyle jumped up, yelling that they were being attacked. It had taken a moment before Alex had denied that assumption and proclaimed that the aliens were dying instead. She watched their reunion with the others and wished she had been with them rather than where she had been at the time.

"So you see," Alex said as the scene faded to black for a moment before the living area of the cabin rematerialized around them once more, "he made the choice that was right for him." He shook his head when she started to protest. "Kyle's a man who knows exactly what he wants, Isabel. He's loyal to a fault and you're never gonna have to wonder if he's got your back. None of you will ever have to wonder about that. It's who he is."

Isabel mulled over his words for a while. Since he had become a part of their group Kyle had always been there for her. He had never judged her, never questioned her when she just showed up out of the blue needing his companionship, and he had easily become the best friend she'd ever had. He had taken care of all of them in his quiet, unassuming way over the past six months. _Longer, if the truth were to be told,_ she realized. In spite of his denial earlier though, something was bothering him. She hadn't missed the way he had straightened his spine before going out the door. Why was he taking whatever his burden was on his own shoulders? Why didn't he feel that he could share it with her?

She glanced at the clock and nodded decisively. Half an hour. She would give him half an hour and if he wasn't back by then she was going over to Michael and Maria's cabin to talk to Maria about him.

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Liz looked up from her contemplation of her rapidly cooling hot chocolate when she heard a knock at the door. She hated that her heart rate automatically sped up in response to the simple sound of a visitor announcing their arrival. She crossed the living room to reach the front door, her hand resting on the knob for a moment as she drew in a deep breath. She flexed her fingers, knowing that if necessary she could and would defend herself.

She unlocked the door without making a sound, slowly turning the knob and pulling the door open. Her eyebrows lifted in surprise when she saw Kyle standing there, his left hand braced on the doorframe and his right hand shoved deep in the pocket of his jeans. He looked haggard and weighed down by something unseen. She reached out to grab a handful of his coat and pulled him inside.

"Kyle, what's wrong? Are you still feeling bad?" She pushed the door closed and herded him over to the couch. "Here, sit down."

He shook his head tiredly as he unbuttoned his coat and sat down. "You remember when you came to me complaining about feelin' fatigued? I was workin' at the garage at the time." He pinched the bridge of his nose and rubbed his eyes. "Didn't you mention something about hallucinations?"

Liz stilled for a moment before sitting down next to him. "Um, why? Has something happened?"

"I'm not sure." Maybe he had jumped the gun and it wasn't anything to be concerned about. "I mean, it could just be stress, right?" He pushed himself to his feet and shoved his hands deep in his pockets as he started to pace restlessly.

"Kyle, whatever it is, you know you can tell me. You were there for me, now let me be here for you."

He pulled in a deep breath, holding it for several seconds before releasing it slowly and turning to look at her. "Well, for starters, I haven't slept in two nights, like at all, and I have this dull headache that's hangin' in the background just waitin' for any excuse to explode. I've taken Tylenol, which usually kills a headache for me, but it's not workin' this time." He stopped and snorted quietly. "Maybe it is just stress. I mean, you were tired all the time and you couldn't stay awake, right?"

"Did you see or hear something?"

"Yeah, I saw my dad. At least, I think I did." He sighed in frustration and began to pace again. "I'm not even sure it was real. I mean, I haven't slept in several days and I've been zoning out for seconds at a time." He rubbed his face with both hands. "I'm really freakin' out here, Liz."

She stood up, tugging the hem of her shirt down and planting her hands on her hips. "Okay, let's try to sort it out by going over everything you were doing just before it happened. Maybe if we do that we can figure out if it's just stress or…" her eyes shifted across the room. "Or something else." She watched him for a moment before speaking again. "For the record me and Maria just thought you were coming down with the flu."

Kyle's lips quirked in a tight smile. "Isn't that the same thing you told everyone when you were seeing things?" He gave her a slightly sarcastic look. "I'm feeling so much better here."

"Kyle, I…"

"No worries, it's just stress and between the two of us we're gonna prove it."

Her mind automatically shifted into scientific mode. "Okay, so what were you doing before you saw your dad?"

He fell silent, his eyes locked on the window across the room as he mentally went over everything he had done. "I went back to the cabin to spend some quality time with Buddha, figuring if I cleared my mind and cleansed my soul I'd be able to get some sleep. Meditation and prayer's been kinda slim on the run, ya know? Anyway, I was just sitting there, clearing my mind, and I guess thinking about where I felt most at rest."

Liz smiled when he unconsciously inhaled deeply and released it slowly. He did that any time he was stressed or when he was trying to find peace within himself and most of the time she doubted he even knew he was doing it.

He sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. "I started to picture the inside of our kitchen back home and for a minute I thought…" He shook his head. "Ah, you know, it has to be the stress. I'm sure that's all it is."

"Kyle," Liz said, her tone encouraging.

He ran his hands over his face again. "Oh, alright, but let it be noted that I think my sleep-deprived brain imagined it."

"Consider it noted."

Kyle shook his head back and forth slightly as he weighed his next words.

"So you were in your dad's kitchen and you thought… what?"

"I could've sworn I could smell Dad's chili cookin'. And the really weird thing? I kinda shifted my weight and I swear, Liz, I could feel the give in that one loose tile that's over by the sink. Dad's been sayin' he was gonna fix that thing for years and he's never…" he shook his head. "Not important." He started to pace again as he ran one hand through his hair. "It's like my brain forgot that I was sitting on the floor of the cabin."

"Keep going, Kyle. What were you feeling?"

He stopped mid-pace and looked at her. "It was like all of the sudden every ache and pain I've felt for the past couple days just disappeared. I felt good for the first time since I started feelin' like crap." He frowned at the next memory that surfaced. "Anyway, then I heard scuffing noises and it's like they were right there in the room with me. I turned and saw my dad coming into the kitchen. And that's when I started to feel like someone was pushin' me underwater. You know how when you're in the pool and someone dunks you unexpectedly? That's what it was like. And next thing I know I heard my dad say my name. He looked right at me, Liz, like, directly at me. He started rubbing his face with his hands and then he called me again."

Liz remained silent, waiting for him to gather his thoughts and pull himself together. He had grown quiet and she could see his blue eyes shining as he recalled seeing his dad.

"I took a few steps forward and answered him but then that feeling of being pushed underwater started to build again and outta nowhere I felt like I was fallin' backwards. Next thing I know I'm back on the floor in my room over at the cabin." He sat down and looked at Liz, waiting for her to say something, to make sense out of this waking nightmare.

"Kyle, we really need to talk to Max about this," she said as she sat down on the couch again.

He stood up abruptly. "Somehow I was afraid you were gonna say that." He started to pace again, his movements agitated. "You know what the worst thing about it is? Buddha was like my safe place, my escape from all the alien chaos." Well, okay, there was that one really freaky dream where Buddha was quoting Shakespeare, had a cell phone, and was making plans to be beamed aboard a spaceship. He shuddered at that memory. "I know not everyone gets the Buddha thing, but it's helped keep me sane."

"Kyle, I understand this's difficult, but Max needs to know. I mean, maybe he can help you."

He thought about that for a few minutes before shaking his head. "I think I'll pass. Can we just keep this between us for now?" He paused by the counter in the kitchen and held his hand over the cold mug of hot chocolate, shrugging his shoulders when it didn't heat after a couple of seconds. "So, how're you doin' with your otherworldly abilities?"

Liz smiled when he shoved his hand in his pocket and turned back to face her. "I'm good, Kyle, and you're gonna be okay," she said, accepting the change of subject.

He dropped back down on the couch beside her and slouched back into the cushions. "Yeah."

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Max walked beside Michael, his thoughts on their disagreement on the ice. He knew there were still things that needed to be addressed but as a rule as long as those things weren't front and center he was content to let sleeping dogs lie. There were just some things in his and Liz's past that he didn't want to deal with and his issues with Kyle were damn close to the top of that list.

"Keep what I said in mind, Maxwell," Michael said as they reached the road that stretched between the cabins. He stopped and reached out to grab Max's arm, making him stop and face him. "We both know I'm not into all that touchy-feely let's-talk-about-our-feelings crap, but you're not me."

"Being more open to talking about feelings doesn't necessarily make it easier to talk about some things, Michael." He looked him in the eye. "Me and Liz aren't the only ones who have things that need to be dealt with but I don't go around pointing it out to you."

Michael nodded and stared at the stars overhead for a moment. "Me an' Maria, we've got our issues, no denyin' that. The difference is, we're not makin' it a problem for other people. And Kyle? The guy's easygoing, but one of these days you're gonna push it too far with him."

"I'm gonna push it too far with him?" Max asked incredulously. "You don't even know what the issue is!"

"So tell me."

"No thanks, I'll pass." He shrugged Michael's hand off and waved over his shoulder as he headed in the direction of his own cabin. "Yeah," he muttered, "I'd like to deal with it." He shoved away the memories that rose up before him and drew in a deep breath. Being in such cramped quarters with Kyle had kept those memories close to the surface and every time he had seen the other guy with Liz it just grated on his nerves. After months of that constant irritation his nerves felt raw and exposed.

He rolled his shoulders back and sighed when he spotted the warm lights spilling from the windows of the Honeymoon cabin. Finally he could put all of this nonsense out of his head and just spend a quiet evening with Liz. He hated that Michael had decided to bring it up just after he'd been forced to leave Liz with Kyle. He checked his pocket for the key out of habit before realizing that he'd left it with Liz earlier.

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Michael glanced back and forth between Maria and Isabel, taking in the open looks of concern on their faces. "What's wrong?" he asked as he closed the door and ran his hand through his hair to brush out the snowflakes that had started to fall. Again.

"Did Kyle happen to find you?" Isabel asked, bypassing his question.

"No." He frowned. "Was he lookin' for me?"

"Not particularly."

"Then why'd you think I might've run into him?"

"He was just… acting a bit off when I got back to our cabin and he took off, said he needed some air or something."

"And you just let him go?" He started zipping his coat up again.

Isabel glared at him. "He's not the family dog that got off the leash, Michael," she snapped. "Something's bothering him."

"You two get your coats on." He couldn't just have his soldiers running AWOL. "We're goin' down to Max's cabin and you're gonna stay there while I go find Valenti. And after I get done kickin' his ass for takin' off on his own like that we're gonna have another meeting."

Maria and Isabel exchanged a look but followed his orders since finding Kyle and making sure he was alright was their priority.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Max rested his hand over the brass plate and gave the tumbler a mental nudge, nodding in satisfaction when he heard the accompanying metallic clicks as it unlocked. He turned the knob and pushed the door open, putting one foot over the threshold and freezing as he took in the scene in his living room. Kyle was slouched down, his upper body leaning in toward Liz where she sat next to him, the smiles on their faces frozen as they turned to look at him. He could feel the blood in his veins start to boil as his mind quickly replaced the current scene with one of the two of them under the covers, naked in her bed.

His gaze locked on the man sitting next to Liz as he cleared that image from his sight. He looked between Kyle and Liz, feeling every muscle in his body tense. Trust warred with the old feelings of betrayal and hurt as he took in their relaxed demeanors and the ease they had with each other. "What's going on here?" he demanded, his eyes narrowed.

Kyle met his gaze directly. "Nothing, we were just talkin'." He stood and played with the buttons on his coat. "And I was just about to leave." He shot a glance at Liz. "I'll catch you later. Thanks for the talk."

Max shifted, intentionally blocking Kyle's path when he tried to leave.

"Let's not do this tonight, Evans," Kyle said as he started to push past him.

He ignored the underlying note of warning in the other guy's tone and bumped his shoulder against him as he started to move past him. "Watch your step, Kyle."

Blue eyes clashed with brown as they stared at each other as the intended physical taunt hit its goal with deadly accuracy. He was mentally and physically fried and the insomnia had his temper on edge so when he responded his tone was pure acid. "Yes, Your Highness." He added a slight bow just to piss Max off.

Max pulled back and shoved Kyle as hard as he could. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Max!" Liz got to her feet and crossed the room with the intention of intervening. "He didn't mean anything, Max. Stop this!"

His temper skyrocketed and his eyes were challenging as they locked on Max. He checked to make sure Liz was out of the way before he shoved him, forcing him back. "Don't you ever touch me like that again!"

The sound of Liz calling out to him to stop him from going after Kyle, her defending his presence in their cabin, and her insistence that he stop defending what was his all came together in a single instant and he saw red. He pulled his arm back, his hand balled up in a tight fist, and he let it fly.

The satisfying feeling of bone on bone never came as Michael suddenly appeared between them, shoving them apart and shouting at him. "Max, what the hell are you doing?"

Maria and Isabel squeezed inside and quickly took in the guys' combative stances. "Oh, my God, what is going on here?"

Kyle didn't acknowledge either of them as he tried to get around Michael's hand on his chest, holding him back. "What the hell is wrong with you?" he shouted at Max.

Michael used his powers just enough to nudge Kyle back even as he was pulling Max forward. He couldn't believe Max had been about to punch Kyle. He had been on the receiving end of that fist before and he wasn't about to let him turn it on one of their own. Not to mention the last thing they needed was to bring negative attention on themselves. He released his hold on Kyle when Isabel shifted to get in front of him.

Max shoved Michael. "Get out of my way," he growled.

"Just stop it, both of you!" Isabel shouted, her gaze bouncing back and forth between them.

Michael's expression was lethal as he locked gazes with Max. "You're not hittin' anyone on my watch, you got it?" he said, his voice cold and calm. "Now back off and cool off!"

Kyle paid no attention to Isabel as she tried to calm him down. "He's crazy!" he yelled, the words aimed at Michael. "What the hell is wrong with him? I mean, I was just here talkin' to Liz and everything was fine. Then he comes in and – "

Max attempted to break free of Michael's hold again and when he couldn't break the iron grip his temper spiked and his powers surged. He pushed against Michael and shoved him across the room, unaware of it when he stumbled and fell, hitting his head on the coffee table.

Maria rushed over to him and knelt down, her fingers carefully probing his head where it had impacted with the table. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," he grumbled as he reached up to brush her fingers away. "Help me up so I can get over there before they kill each other."

"You don't know?" Max screamed, getting in Kyle's face when he shook Isabel off to face off with him again. "How can you not know? I find you alone with MY WIFE in our home and you, what? You think I could ever forget about finding you naked in bed with her last year?"

Kyle suddenly stepped back and he stared at him in shock. "What? You've… you've been together for like, a year and a half… You've been married for months." He still didn't even know what that whole thing had been about, but how could they have gotten this far in their relationship without talking about it? "Wait," he turned his head to look at Liz, "you guys never talked about that?" He looked at Max and shook his head. "Nothing happened."

Maria moved closer but was careful not to get between them. "It's true, Max, nothing happened between them. Liz was just doing whatever she could to get you to accept your destiny." She nodded when his gaze bounced around the room before focusing on her. "Think about it, girlfriend, you know nothing happened."

Michael looked at her suspiciously. "You know what they're talkin' about?"

Liz got in between all of them, hands held out as she raised her voice. "Stop! Just stop it, all of you! This's all my fault!"

Kyle moved to stand closer to Isabel, watching Max's expression shift to one of stunned confusion as he turned to look at Liz.

"What the hell's goin' on now?" Michael demanded.

Max held a hand up in a bid for silence. His eyes were locked on Liz. She was trembling and her beautiful eyes were welling up with tears.

"Because you asked me to."

"I asked you to what, sleep with Kyle?" His voice had dropped dangerously low as his heart and mind battled for dominance. Her pain was real and that made him take a mental step back. "You wanted to make me believe it, but why? I never would've asked you to do somethin' like that."

"But you did," she insisted miserably. "Not that scenario exactly, but you wanted me to make you fall out of love with me."

His confusion played across his features clearly as he shook his head. "Liz, what're you talking about?"

"Liz, just tell him," Maria whispered as she gave her friend a supportive nod. "It's time." She could feel Michael's eyes burning into the back of her head as he tried to figure out what was going on and why she hadn't told him about it.

"Max, you came back from 14 years in the future and told me that we couldn't be together, that if we stayed together the world would end."

He shook his head in denial. There was no way simply telling her something like that would've convinced her to go to the lengths she had gone to in an effort to alter their futures. He looked at her, searching the depths of her dark eyes for answers only she had possession of. "There has to be more to it than that. What could some future version of me have said to make you think hurting me, us, like that was a good idea?"

Michael was listening, taking in everything that was being said. He had put the revelation about Kyle and Liz being in bed together on the back burner; it was only relevant as far as Max being able to deal with his wife and Kyle being friends. They could deal with that later. The fact that some supposed future version of Max had paid Liz a visit and she and Maria had kept that information from all of them was the more pertinent issue.

"What the hell were the two of you thinking, not tellin' the rest of us about this?" Michael exploded. "Do you have any idea what could've happened? Hell, for all we know the guy could've been dangerous."

"He wasn't dangerous," Liz insisted. "He was Max."

Michael advanced on her. "What reason could you possibly have for keeping information like this to yourself?"

"Michael," Maria spoke up in an effort to calm him down and let Liz finish what had been started.

He whirled around to face her and his expression was thunderous. "And you! Whether anyone else was informed or not, you should've told me about this!"

"It wasn't exactly my secret to tell."

"Not good enough." He shook his head. "Not nearly good enough, Maria."

Isabel glanced up from her perusal of the floor and her gaze bounced back and forth between Michael and Maria as they stood locked in a battle of wills. He wasn't yelling now but there were times when he would lower his voice and it was worse than him yelling the roof down. "Michael, this isn't helping anything," she bit out after a moment of watching them. "Let Liz say what she has to say."

"I didn't want to keep anything from you," Liz interrupted. "From any of you." She looked at her husband. "My first instinct was to run to you but when he told me what had happened… That Tess would eventually leave because of us and without her we were unable to stop Khivar's invasion…" she shook her head, swallowing hard. "Max, when that future version of you came to me he told me that Michael had just died, that he'd held him in his arms as he died, just minutes before he came to me. He said Isabel had been killed two weeks before that…" She looked around at them, her emotional distress open to everyone. "How could I take the chance that what he said wouldn't come true?"

Her tears spilled over and each one tore at Max's heart. He felt his anger melt away at the distress seeping from her pores and he crossed the room to take her in his arms, his voice low and soothing as he murmured apologies amid other nonsense in an effort to calm her down and let her know everything would be alright.

Michael was still pissed at being kept in the dark but his features softened slightly as he looked at Liz. He had read her journal not long after she had found out the truth about them, and in addition to what he had learned about her over the past few years, he knew that she had not made the decisions she had made lightly. She believed that Max had come from the future and considering the agony the two of them had put each other through time after time he could only imagine what it had cost her to push the boy she had loved more than anything into Tess' arms.

Isabel had been pacing quietly, the small pendant at the end of her necklace pinched between her thumb and forefinger as she dragged it back and forth against the chain. Her steps slowed and she tapped the pendant against her pursed lips as she brought her chaotic thoughts into some semblance of order. "It was Tess," she said finally, breaking the heavy silence. "It wasn't your fault, Liz, it was mine. I'm the one who let her in."

Kyle sat in the rocking chair, unaware of the stuffed grizzly bear he was squishing. He propped his elbows on his knees and dropped his head in his hands as he sighed. He rubbed his hands over his face and then raked his fingers through his hair. "Dad brought her into our home and I accepted her… add my name to the list of people to blame."

"No." Michael stood at the window looking out into the night. "No, it's no one's fault." He lifted his eyes to catch Max's reflection as he held his wife, his embrace tender and comforting. "Tess did this, no one else is to blame." He shook his head. "Blaming each other or ourselves for anything she did stops tonight. No one made her turn on us; she came to Roswell with the intention of gaining our trust, translating that damn book, and then getting us back to Antar so she could turn us over to our enemies." He turned to look at each of them in turn. "She's the only one to blame. The fact that she went after Max had nothing to do with who we were in our previous lives. Claiming that they had a connection or whatever was obviously a lie because he wasn't gonna be spared when we showed up on Antar. He was slated for execution just like me an' Isabel."

Liz rested the side of her head against Max's chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart as she took in what Michael was saying. She wanted to believe him, wanted to believe that she wasn't at fault, but was it true? _How many times had she questioned her role in Alex's death? If she had refused to help Future Max, if Tess had done as he said and left Roswell, would he be dead now?_

"Questions like that serve no purpose," Michael snapped as he moved closer to Liz. He knew by the widening of her eyes that she had no idea that she had spoken aloud.

"Michael, back off," Max said quietly but insistently.

Their gazes locked for a moment before Michael nodded and stepped back. "Maybe we should call it a night and we'll regroup in the mornin'."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The four of them stepped out into the crisp, cold night air and the cabin door shut behind them, leaving them in silence. The stillness of the night was broken only by the sound of the snow crunching under their feet as they made their way along the driveway. When they reached the fork in the road Kyle and Isabel went off to the left and Michael and Maria continued on their own path.

Michael slowed his steps and pushed his thoughts behind closed doors as he felt that prickling sensation at the back of his neck. He turned under the guise of checking to see that the other couple had made it safely to their own cabin, using the opportunity to scan their surroundings. He forced his hand to stay at his side, refusing to reach up and rub his neck and reveal his uneasiness.

"Michael, what is it?" Maria asked as she linked her arm with his.

His sharp gaze settled on the garage and after a moment he shook his head. "Nothin'."

"Are you sure?"

"I said it's nothin'."

Standing in the shadows close to the garage wall Edward watched the last couple disappear from sight. If he hadn't been cast in shadow he and Michael would've been making eye contact as the younger man located his position with unerring accuracy. There was something uncanny about the boy; he had instincts that only fit someone his age when the uglier side of life had left its mark on that person.

He had been on his way back into the house when he had heard the shouting coming from down the driveway. He couldn't make out the particulars of what was being said but it had been impossible to miss the signs of a fight brewing between two of the boys. He had seen Michael push his way in to break it up and the door had closed at that point, preventing him from seeing anything else.

He wondered what was going on between the six of them and what they were really doing in his neck of the woods. As he watched the little Honeymoon cabin he found his curiosity about his guests spiking. He could practically hear Julia telling him to mind his business and that thought made him smile. What she didn't understand was that this was his business; anything that had the potential of affecting his family, especially in a negative manner, was his business.


	45. Chapter 45

**Part 45**

Isabel tossed and turned, unable to relax after Liz's unexpected revelation several hours earlier. The light from the television flickered across the walls but she barely noticed it. She knew Kyle was in the living area, probably zoning out as he stared at the screen. He had been surfing the ten channels since they had come back, the volume turned down just low enough that the sound was muffled and she couldn't make out what was being said. She wondered what had made him go along with Liz when she had hatched her plan to make Max believe she had slept with Kyle. He had seemed to be interested in Tess at that point so it didn't really make sense why he would go along with that particular request.

She finally rolled over and got out of bed, annoyed at her inability to do something as simple as sleep. She stretched, wincing when her body protested at even more movement. She walked into the living area and wandered past Kyle to sit down next to his bent legs. He was lying on the loveseat, legs bent at the knees and the remote tapping rhythmically against his right knee. His eyes flicked away from the screen for a moment before going back to the infomercial he had stopped on for a moment.

"Can't sleep?" she asked after a few minutes.

"Not likely to happen after tonight," he said, reaching up to rub his forehead. He nodded at the television. "If this is botherin' you I can turn it off."

She shook her head. "No, like you said, probably won't happen tonight." She watched him unobtrusively, taking in the pinched look in his features.

"Can you believe that people actually buy this stuff?" He turned up the volume minimally, listening as the advertiser on the screen enthusiastically went on about a dog collar that stopped the animal from barking. "Like that's gonna work." He snorted. "Although, if it did really work, maybe we could get one for Maria for Christmas. Maybe she could use it on El Capitan."

Isabel laughed slightly at that mental image as she got up and went to grab the fleece blanket off of her bed. She dropped it on the back of the loveseat before disappearing into the bathroom for a minute. "Shift down a bit," she said when she returned.

Kyle tipped his head back to look at her, acquiescing to her quiet, but insistent, demand. He settled his head in her lap at her gentle urging and he sighed when she placed the warm, damp washcloth across his forehead.

"The TV isn't bothering me, but that light flickering is only gonna make your headache worse."

He shrugged one shoulder. "S'okay." He turned the volume down all the way and resumed his channel surfing.

She leaned over just enough to take the remote from him, leaving the television on the weather channel. "Close your eyes." When he complied with her request she placed her fingertips at his temples and started to rub them slowly, applying just enough pressure to work on the tension there. She smiled to herself when he stretched out and let his legs dangle over the opposite arm of the loveseat.

How many times had he been there for her? Or for the others? How many times had they returned the favor? They needed him, relied on him, and now she was realizing just how much he needed her. As the pressure behind his temples began to ease she removed her hands and reached up to rest her right arm along the back of the loveseat. She stared at the television, wondering if the forecast of more snow would keep them stationary for just a while longer.

She glanced down at Kyle when he shifted to cross his arms over his chest and she pulled the fleece blanket down, covering him. She tugged it around so that she had a corner of it before turning her attention back to the weather. She played with the ends of his hair where it brushed against her hand and after a while she began to absentmindedly run her fingers through it. She felt herself begin to relax when his breathing began to slow and before long it evened out, indicating that he had fallen asleep.

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Max dropped down to sit on the bed after Liz excused herself to go to the bathroom to collect herself. He stared down at his hands, watching the light catch his ring and throw a reflection against the wall. _This is my fault,_ he thought. Every bit of it, it was all on him. _I'm the one who did this to her. _ Why had he dragged his feet with Tess? He hadn't fought hard enough or been the leader they needed him to be when it had counted.

He had nearly walked them all right into a trap. If it hadn't been for Michael doing the one thing he would never have expected him to do they would all be dead right now. Or at least he and Michael would be dead. Given Khivar's obsession with Isabel he didn't know if she would've been spared or not. His son would be in Khivar's hands. He hadn't known how to be a leader. What did he know at 16 or 17 years old?

He listened to the sound of water running in the bathroom sink and shook his head. Had he come back from the future to enlist her help in making him fall out of love with her? 14 years older and he had really believed such nonsense was possible? How could he ask her to even attempt such a thing after spending those years with her? He had to know that there was no way that what he felt for her was a passing thing. After seeing her in bed with Kyle he had felt betrayed but he had never come close to falling out of love with her.

_You may not have fallen out of love with her but you let it push you apart,_ his conscience taunted. He had known something was all wrong with that scene but it had hit him like a punch in the gut. It wasn't just seeing her and Kyle together like that. No, it was so much more than that. She had been smiling, laughing openly at something the other guy had said. At a time when he couldn't seem to make her happy Kyle had managed to give her a moment of carefree laughter. In that moment he had seen her the way she had been before he had come into her life and screwed everything up.

He dropped his head in his hands as he thought about the repercussions of his future self's decision to come back and alter the timeline. Tess was still gone, which meant they were missing their fourth. Their unit was incomplete. They were running for their lives with no clue what they were doing next. Alex was dead. Had that happened in that other timeline? He had gotten Tess pregnant; something that he could only assume hadn't happened before he had come back and royally screwed up his present timeline. Now he had a son that he would probably never see again.

He winced as he thought about what he and Liz had done during his search for his son. What he had done to Isabel when she had so desperately wanted to escape from everything and go to San Francisco to go to college. His sister had been shot and nearly died. She had tried to move on with Jesse only to have that taken away from her too. He lifted his head and stared at the bathroom door when he heard the water shut off again. He wiped his palms on his thighs as he waited for the door to open.

He had no idea what to say to her. She had carried the burden of his request, suffering the pain of that decision in silence. She wouldn't have given in to such a thing easily. To make her believe him he had put the guilt of Isabel and Michael's deaths on her shoulders. He had watched her and hurt with her and for her as she had described what had happened. How selfish could he be that he would put her in a position like that and expect her to carry that weight around for the rest of her life?

Every thought fled as he watched the doorknob turn and without realizing it he stopped breathing as the door opened. He didn't know what to say. He wasn't even sure what he should do. All he knew was she needed him to be the man she believed him to be. He swallowed hard as he stood up and crossed the room to meet her.

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The door shut behind Michael with a quiet click, the sound somehow louder than if he had slammed it. Maria could feel the anger rolling off of him in waves and the fact that he was containing it so well made it all the more volatile. His eyes were burning into her as she pulled off her outer gear and hung her things up. She glanced at the darkened doorway that led to the bathroom and decided she needed to make her escape.

Michael turned to wedge the chair up under the doorknob, unconsciously giving her a momentary reprieve. He stared at his hands where they were wrapped around the back of the chair and he forced his fingers to uncurl. Almost two years, he thought. Why hadn't she told him about what had happened in all that time? He turned when he caught movement from the corner of his eye and he saw Maria heading out of the room. "Goin' somewhere?"

"I thought I'd take a bath," she started, but knew by the look on his face that she wasn't going to be making that escape any time soon.

"Tell me how you know what Liz was talkin' about." He reached up to unzip his coat, never taking his eyes off of her. "And I mean exactly, Maria. Don't leave anything out."

Maria felt terrible as she watched him methodically strip off his outerwear and put it away, piece by piece. His words back at the other cabin were ringing in her ears and her heart thumped heavily in her chest, hurting at the knowledge that he now had one more reason to doubt his trust in her.

"Did you or Liz ever consider that guy was dangerous? What made you think some artifact claimin' to be Max from the future was the genuine article? I know why Liz believed it, but damn it, Maria! You should've known better! Did you even stop to think that by keepin' that secret you were deciding for all of us how our futures would end up?" His eyes, blazing with anger, followed every movement she made and he softened fractionally when he saw her shiver and he noticed just how cold it was in the cabin now that the fire had been out for a while.

Maria flinched when his right hand shot up, setting the logs in the fireplace ablaze. She wasn't afraid of him, wasn't worried that he would ever hurt her, but she hadn't been expecting the sudden move. She could see the tension pulling his tall frame taut and she knew he was releasing some of his pent-up frustration with the situation. It was a safety valve to vent some of the pressure from the anger boiling up inside of him.

"Do you have any idea just how much of a risk you took by keepin' this a secret? Fine, Liz had an obligation to some time traveler who may or may not have been Max. But you should've told me! I had a right to know that you and Liz were makin' decisions that affected, and possibly altered, my future!"

Maria was watching him, wide-eyed and incredulous as he hurled accusations. Yes, she felt like she had let him down again, but damn it, she wasn't going to take this line of questioning! "You really wanna talk about rights?" she shouted as she recalled just how tumultuous things had been between them at the time. "Really? That's where you wanna go with this… this… conversation?"

Michael crowded her as her anger sparked off of his and he saw her green eyes darken as her temper ignited. "You're the one who's been keepin' secrets!"

"Me? When should I have told you? When you were ignoring me? When you were chasing after Courtney like a slobbering dog? When you were risking your life to haul out that creepy husk when we were trying to escape Halloween town?" Rationally, she knew the things were unrelated, but the fact was he didn't know when exactly Liz had received a visit from Future Max and that whole thing with Courtney had just complicated her already complicated relationship with Michael.

"I told you there was somethin' off about her! Someone needed to find out what she was doin' in Roswell."

"And you needed to do that in her apartment? Down to your tee shirt and her running around in a bath towel? Maybe we could've sat down and had a heart to heart talk about Future Max when Courtney showed up at the Crashdown in her new husk thingy… and isn't it funny how you had that thing and for her to slip it on or whatever she needed access to a bathtub? How stupid do you think I am, Michael?"

"What does one thing have to do with the other?" he yelled, not wanting to revisit that timeframe. "That doesn't have a damn thing to do with this. I can add, Maria! I know exactly when Liz started to push Max at Tess… and when his dumb ass gave in!" He shook his head at her. "You had plenty of opportunities to bring this up to me."

"What does one thing have to do with the other?" she repeated stupidly. "I don't know, Michael. What could catching you with her in her apartment, in a towel, have to do with me feeling disconnected from you? We weren't exactly in a good place at the time if you'll recall!"

A heavy silence fell between them in the aftermath of her outburst and she moved to stand at the kitchen sink, arms folded over her chest defensively as she stared at her reflection in the window. The truth about Future Max had come out and somehow things had gotten turned around and she and Michael were caught up in another stalemate. He wasn't giving an inch on that damn Courtney situation and she just knew pursuing it would only reignite the argument that was running them in circles.

She barely registered a nearly inaudible humming sound before something popped loudly and they were plunged into darkness.

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Liz sat on the rim of the bathtub, her blurry eyes staring unseeingly at the water running from the faucet to swirl around the sink before disappearing down the drain. Her tears ran down her face unchecked, dripping off of her chin and falling to the floor to be absorbed by the thick bathmat underfoot. More tears welled up in her eyes and spilled over as the bathroom around her seemed to shift and in her mind's eye it transformed into her bathroom back home.

She squeezed her eyes shut, trying hard to force the images away but it was no use. She could see herself standing in front of the bathroom mirror, trying to psyche herself up to climb into bed with Kyle. Trying to convince herself that she was doing the right thing, that crushing Max and destroying his trust in her was what had to be done. She could remember how unnerving it had been to be in the cramped space with an older Max who had claimed to know things about her that hadn't even happened yet. She had been scared to believe him and terrified that he was telling the truth and everyone they cared about was going to die because of them.

She could still recall his scoffing tone at the mere thought that she would enlist Kyle's help, so certain that he would never be jealous of the other guy. It wasn't about jealousy though. She had seen the look in his eyes when he had seen them together. In her bed, just enough skin exposed to make him think the worst of them. He had been devastated, he had felt betrayed, and she had been responsible for putting that look in his eyes. She had hurt him more deeply with that single moment in time than everything else he had ever experienced combined and it had nearly killed her to do it.

She swallowed hard, her throat burning as she tried to force the lump there back down. His future self had no idea what he had done to her by asking her to betray him. On the rare occasion that she let her thoughts drift back to that night she wondered why the future version of him had disappeared. Max hadn't really believed that she had slept with Kyle, not at first anyway. He had fought against it. He had hounded her for a while, trying to get her to tell him the truth. If he had ever really believed it he had known the truth on their wedding night. There was no faking that.

Had they really altered the future? Did it even matter anymore? His last words to her were a contradiction to what he had demanded that she do. _"It's what I've always said to you, Liz. We create our own destiny."_ God, what if she had been fooled by some shape-shifter or some other kind of alien? Her breath caught in her throat and she leaned forward, her arms crossed over her middle as she tried to hold herself together. What if that decision had altered events and led to Alex's death? Had one of her dearest friends died because of something she had done? She clenched her teeth together in an effort to hold the pain inside.

Her throat felt raw and it hurt to swallow. She nearly choked when she drew in a deep breath and her eyes burned as more moisture was forced to the surface. She turned her head to stare at the door, knowing that her husband was on the other side reliving his own pain. Pain that she was responsible for causing. She knew Max though, and as much as his own pain would be surfacing, it would be vying for recognition between his guilt for his future self putting her in that position and the pain he would be feeling for her because she was hurting and he couldn't fix it.

She knew she should've talked to him about this long ago but somehow it had slipped through the cracks in their relationship and they had been content to leave it there. Like Tess and Zan, it had become a topic that was swept under the rug and left ignored because neither of them wanted to deal with it. Her grip on her waist eased at the realization that the truth was out. He knew what she had done and why she had done it. She slowly unfolded herself, lifting her hands to wipe her face. Part of the weight that she had been carrying for so long melted away as she straightened up and she winced as she reached for the toilet paper, unrolling a few sheets so she could blow her nose.

She stood up on rubbery legs and made her way over to the sink, bending over and cupping her hands to catch the cool water so she could splash it in her face. The cool water was a contrast to the heated flesh of her face and she sighed as she patted handfuls of water against her skin. She sighed and reached for a hand towel to pat her face dry, carefully avoiding her reflection as she stood upright again. No need to scare herself. If she had visual confirmation of just how bad she looked she might be tempted to just hide in the bathroom and avoid her husband for the rest of the night.

She ran her hands over her hair out of habit before straightening her clothes once more and reaching for the doorknob.

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Maria barely had time to register the darkness when Michael's solid body suddenly slammed into her, knocking the breath from her lungs. She could feel his arms around her waist pinning her against him as he swung her around, pulling her away from the exposure of the window. Her pounding heart was beating in time with his and she could feel it thumping madly beneath his skin.

He was already in overdrive after everything that had come out tonight and his senses were screaming at him to pack them all up and run. In the space of just a few seconds his eyes had swept over the darkened interior of the cabin and come to rest on the window over the kitchen sink. He lifted his gaze to the little light over the sink that had been burning brightly just moments before and he released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

He could still feel the adrenaline flooding his system, a combination of fear from being so suddenly thrown into darkness and the latent anger coursing through his veins in the aftermath of the argument and her throwing Courtney in his face. He didn't want to deal with that situation or with his guilt for the way he had treated her. After learning about the situation with Liz and her visit with some future version of Max he was on edge. He had no idea if it had really happened or if it had just been set up to make her think the guy was from the future. He also didn't know how it affected them in the present… if it affected them. The thought that Maria had known about it and never once told him pushed another barrier between them and set his frustration off again.

His gaze dropped, colliding with hers, and need spiked inside of him, hard and hot. The need to make her his, to drive any doubts from her mind, united with the want setting him on fire and he allowed his actions to speak for him. He hated feeling like there was any distance between them and without thought he sought to bridge that gap. His mouth crashed onto hers and he used his body to propel her across the kitchen and away from the window.

Maria grunted when she was suddenly sandwiched between Michael and the wall between the refrigerator and the hot water tank. The old phrase 'caught between a rock and a hard place' entered her mind and struck her as funny for the space a heartbeat. What little air remained in her lungs after colliding with the wall was stolen from her beneath the force of his kisses. She could feel his frustration when he attempted to reach her skin and the sweater she was wearing refused to cooperate with his impatient grasping.

He growled low in his throat, a sound of combined irritation and frustration, and she reached up to release the top three buttons, granting him the access he wanted. His mouth moved from hers, hotly trailing down along her throat and over her collarbone to reach the sensitive tip of her breast. His vocabulary had been reduced to simple grunts interspersed with the occasional groan, but it was a language she had learned to decipher.

Michael shifted, reaching for the fastening on her jeans and grunting when it gave under his insistent tugging. His heart was hammering in his chest, his blood racing through his veins as his rough palm slid over her silky skin. He suckled her nipple and felt his body's reaction to her intensify when she moaned and dug her nails into his shoulders.

_Mine, mine, mine._ The mantra pounded through his head as he touched her in places no other man had ever been permitted to touch. She was his. She whimpered as her hips fell into rhythm with his hand and he nipped her with his teeth when she started panting her pleasure into his ear.

"Michael… Don't… Don't stop."

He had no intention of stopping. He didn't let up, his mouth and hand pushing her to the edge of ecstasy and culminating in her release.

Maria flexed the fingers of her right hand where they were tangled in his hair as her breathing began to slow. She became aware of Michael's ragged breathing as every hot breath gusted against her flesh. She could feel the trembling in his large frame as he buried his face in the crook of her neck. Her fingers moved over his neck in a soothing manner, giving him time to collect himself. She didn't speak, didn't make a move to touch him any further, knowing as soon as he had himself under control he would take her to bed. She had pushed his buttons and now it was like he had something to prove. She just wasn't sure if he was trying to prove something to himself or to her.

As his breathing began to even out he shifted again and in a single fluid movement he freed his hand and stepped back to lift her up in his arms. He lifted his head and his eyes were filled with hunger and intent. Absent-mindedly she noticed the overstuffed chairs that had become theirs, the shapes outlined by the firelight dancing in the background. He laid her down, his every move filled with purpose as he stripped her and then himself, discarding their clothes before climbing on the bed and moving over her. He was silent as his eyes locked with hers, using his knees to make room for himself. He watched every nuance of emotion flash through across her face as he claimed her and he grunted at the feeling of her body cradling his in the most intimate of embraces.

Maria's arms slid around him, her hands curling over his shoulders as his body rocked against hers. His arms were wrapped around her lower back so tightly she was surprised she didn't snap in half with every thrust. His hot panting breaths left moist imprints on the skin just above her ear, making her shiver. The feeling spread down through her body, radiating out until it seemed to gather where they were joined, intensifying the feeling.

She responded instinctively, her hips returning every demanding thrust. She could feel the stutter of his breath in his chest and her arms tightened around his shoulders. He inhaled deeply, dragging in one last gasp of air in order to sustain his release. She ran her hands over his back, knowing that it wouldn't be long before he moved away from her and she sighed when it happened sooner than she would've liked. She could feel the silence between them like a physical thing and it made her ache inside. In spite of the blankets that he pulled up over them she felt cold and the chasm between them only seemed to widen as they both stared up at the ceiling.

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Max felt tongue-tied when Liz finally stepped out of the bathroom and he got a good look at her. Her pain was palpable and it hurt to see how much she had suffered because of him. He was at a loss as to how to handle the situation. He wanted to make it better for her but he didn't know what to say or do to achieve that goal.

Liz drew up short when she nearly collided with Max. Her eyes, that had been shedding tears nonstop since she had locked herself in the bathroom had dried up and now felt as dry as the desert she had called home. She could see the indecision in his expression and read it in his body language. She knew how much he hated not knowing what to do, and she knew how powerless it made him feel, so she took the decision out of his hands.

He released a ragged sigh of relief when she walked into his arms and he held her tightly against him. He could feel the fine tremors dancing along her frame and he rubbed his hands over her arms even though he knew it had nothing to do with the temperature in the cabin. "I'm sorry, Liz," he whispered. "I should've done something. What happened, that whole future me thing, that's not your fault… none of it."

She pressed her forehead against his chest and one of her hands came up to curl into the fabric of his shirt. "Don't, Max. I can't… not right now."

He nodded and leaned back to take her hands in his, holding them against his chest when she lifted her gaze to his. "We could just go to bed." He backpedaled when her hands twitched under his. "Just to sleep, it's late and you're exhausted."

Liz didn't deny his statement, simply nodding and allowing him to lead her over to their bed. She crawled under the covers fully clothed, too drained physically and emotionally to bother getting undressed. She hardly noticed when he turned the lights out, only moving when he slid into bed and reached for her. She went into his arms willingly, clinging to him and sighing tiredly.

Max held her close, one hand rubbing her back in soothing circles in an effort to calm her down. They would talk about this after she'd had some rest. He had so many questions but he knew as much as he wanted answers, right now she only wanted the peaceful oblivion of sleep. She had been living with this burden for a couple of years so the least he could do was wait for her to be ready to talk about it.

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Julia sighed happily as the soft pillow gently cradled her head in its soft embrace. It had been a long day and without their guests so helpfully keeping the kids occupied, Maggie, Eddie, and Brian had done their best to run her ragged. She loved them dearly but they could be a handful when they put their collective minds to it. In such a short time their guests had become so involved with their family and she smiled sleepily as she recalled the numerous questions her children had posed throughout the day in regard to their guests.

She yawned widely and shifted around, making a happy sound when she found that perfect spot and her body settled in for the night ahead. Her eyes drifted closed as the day caught up with her and she was vaguely aware of Edward coming into the house. He had gone out to work in his shop earlier and she had savored the rare quiet that had fallen over the rooms while he was out and the kids were in bed. Sleep began to pull her under as he went through his nightly routine, checking the windows and doors before making a pit-stop in the kitchen for a late night snack.

The blessed quiet of her evening was ruined when the man she loved more than life itself came into their bedroom and set up a ruckus that could wake the dead. Her eyes squeezed shut and she pulled the pillow over her head in an attempt to block the noise he was making. Edward was a strong, loving man, but dear God in heaven he was clueless when it came to how noisy he was.

She heard his jeans hit the floor, followed quickly by the sound of the handful of coins he carried everywhere escaping the confines of his pocket and bouncing across the wood floor. The racket finally ceased when the last coin found a resting place on the rug and beneath her eyelids she rolled her eyes. _All these years and the man hadn't figured out the concept of emptying out his pockets first!_ She was almost to the point where she could identify just how much change he was carrying just by his nightly ritual of the change chase. She groaned inwardly and shifted when she heard him set his coffee mug on the dresser. There were at least half a dozen ugly whitish rings on what used to be a pretty surface, all courtesy of his blasted coffee mug.

"Oh, good, you're awake," he said when he caught her movements.

Julia just rolled her eyes again and released her grip on the pillow that she had been holding over her ears. A wasted motion for certain. Her husband had selective sight and hearing. "Well, I am now."

He bulldozed on ahead, heedless of the light sarcasm in her tone. "I was comin' back in from the shop and what do you think I saw?"

She groaned quietly, knowing this could take all night. She would be perfectly content to wait until morning but she knew better. Edward was a man of few words, but when he had something to say he could go on and on.

"There's something going on with those kids, Julia. Haven't I been tellin' you that? They were arguing about something, and whatever it was, it was serious. Max and Kyle, those two boys were just about to fight when Michael broke it up."

"Edward, we're agreed that whatever their story is, it's not the one they've told us. No, we don't know why they're really traveling the way they are and truthfully, we may not even know _who_ they really are. But whatever else is going on with them, I believe they're good people. And so do you."

He grunted and moved to the window to look out into the night, his gaze settling on the area where the cabins were located.

"You can grunt and mutter and grumble under your breath all you want to, but you wouldn't have allowed them to stay if you felt they were dangerous."

"Yeah, well… Michael… that boy's seen the uglier side of life. You can see it in the way he watches everyone and everything around him, the way he cares for the people close to him." He sighed and raised his left arm to rest his fist on the frame above his head. "It's an internal awareness of surroundings, a wariness and suspicion of people you don't know, it's in the way you isolate yourself even when you're surrounded by those you trust."

"Edward…" Julia knew where his thoughts were residing and she climbed out of bed to go to him. She reached for the hand at his side, knowing before she touched him that it would be fisted. "I agree with you that the telltale signs are there, but it's really not any of our business. Whatever he's been through he doesn't need us to dredge it up. I'm going to hazard a guess and say that whatever it is, the others know about it. Or at least they know what he's able and willing to share. He's made it through the fire and he's come out stronger for it." She reached up to frame his face with her hands, grazing her fingertips over his stubbled cheeks as she gently guided his eyes to hers. "Just like someone else I know."

"What if they're in trouble?" he asked after several long minutes of silence.

"Maybe they are." She smiled up at him. "It's not our place to judge, Edward. They were sent to us because they needed help and they've done nothing harmful. They've been sweet and caring, they've brought the Christmas spirit back to our little community, and they've also been a welcome addition to our family."

He sighed and nodded, but his gaze was once more drawn to the cabins beyond the window.

"Let it rest, Edward." She stretched up to kiss him when his gaze met hers once more. "Come to bed." He wouldn't be able to fully let it go but maybe for tonight he would give it a rest. In time she was certain he would accept that the kids had been brought to them for a reason but until he was certain he would remain alert to anything questionable that might justify his suspicions.

Edward glanced between the window and then back to her before one corner of his mouth lifted in a smile. She squealed in surprise when he swept her up in his strong arms and carried her to their bed.

"Are you trying to throw your back out again?" she asked, laughing as she looked up at him.

"I don't recall that," he denied as he lowered his mouth to hers.

_Um-hmm, it was that selective male memory,_ she thought before she was otherwise distracted.

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The silence was oppressive.

Maria lay there in the semi-darkness, her eyes following the shadows cast by the tree branches outside the bedroom window. The spindly arms curved over the walls in a grotesque embrace and she blinked the image away. Her thoughts automatically went back to the distance between her and Michael and she struggled to come up with a way to bridge that separation. She had to do something before the weight pressing against her chest suffocated her.

She drew in a deep breath, holding it for a moment before slowly releasing it. She gathered up her courage and risked rejection by daring to seek out his hand beneath the blankets. Her relief was evident when he not only allowed the touch, but took her hand in his in a loose grip. Even though his body language wasn't open or inviting, he had accepted the small gesture.

She squeezed her eyes shut and began to speak, fervently wishing for some of her cedar oil and praying that he wouldn't shut her out. Her voice was low, but easily audible in the otherwise quiet cabin. The branches occasionally dragging against the side of the cabin, the fire crackling in the fireplace, and the low moan of the wind through the trees provided a muted soundtrack to her words.

"I heard a rumor at school about Liz and Kyle. Pam Troy actually got off of her high horse to come up to me and tell me about them becoming… oh, how did she put it?" she mumbled to herself. "Oh, I remember, 'an intimate couple in plain sight of her boyfriend, Max Evans'." She shifted, turning fractionally towards Michael. "I didn't see Liz until my shift at the café later that evening. I asked her about it and told her just how vicious the rumor mill was getting so we could straighten them out, like pronto, but she just stopped me and in this completely blasé way, announced that it was true!"

She shifted again, bunching the pillow up under her head and taking a deep breath as more of the story poured out. "I was so shocked, Michael! I didn't believe her, but then she insisted it was true, and that really hurt. I mean, there was my best friend keeping something like that from me! You know? How could she do that to me? And, Max, how could she do that to him? She wasn't making any sense to me and she wasn't even really talking to me…" She swallowed hard at the memory, relieved all over again that it wasn't true.

Maria glanced at Michael. He was still lying motionless but he hadn't pulled away from her. Her hand was still clasped warmly in his much larger one. "I would've talked to Alex, but as far as we all knew he was in Sweden at the time, and well, you and I weren't really… anyway, I just went home and went to bed." Her eyes filled with tears at the thought of Alex, knowing now that he hadn't been in Sweden on a foreign exchange. She drew in a shaky breath and sighed.

Michael's hand flexed around hers and it relaxed after a moment as his thumb began to stroke her wrist in a soothing manner.

"I woke up to a phone call at like, 3am, to Liz insisting that we meet. You know the fountain at the park in town? She wanted to meet there. When we met up she admitted that she hadn't slept with Kyle but that there was a reason for her making Max think she had." She inhaled slowly. "I had to promise I'd never tell anyone or she wouldn't have told me why she did it… or didn't do it." She made a face. "Whatever. Anyway, that's when she told me about Future Max's visit and what he told her about the world ending because they got married and pushed Tess away, eventually causing her to leave town." She shrugged. "You know the rest of it."

Silence once more descended upon them and she gnawed on her bottom lip as she waited for his response. When they had come into the cabin earlier he had demanded that she tell him what had happened. Now she had told him everything and she was left to wait out the silence that was quickly becoming her enemy.

Michael's mind was turning over what she had told him while balancing it against his own guilt. While he was busy thinking Maria was better off without him and trying to figure out who Courtney was, Liz had coincidentally gotten a visit from some future version of Max. A version of his friend who had convinced her to alienate herself. He shook his head. He didn't believe in coincidence and he was having a serious problem with this whole Future Max story. What had it accomplished? It had alienated Liz from Max and Maria had ended up being drawn into that nightmare.

He didn't like that they had been meeting in the park in the middle of the night. His gut twisted at his next thought. What if it had all been a setup? What if it had been a ploy to cause conflict in the group and separate them? What if Maria had gotten hurt or worse because of it? His back teeth started to grind as his imagination went wild on him.

Michael squeezed her hand and turned to look at her, forcing his jaw to relax before he spoke. He couldn't free himself of the feeling that he was partly responsible for her not seeking him out and telling him what Liz had told her. He carefully leveled his tone when he started to speak. "We have no idea if that visit ever really happened or if it was somethin' set up to make Liz think the guy was from the future. If anything, it leaves us in an even more precarious position than we're already in. If it is true, we don't know how it'll affect us now or in the future." His dark gaze pierced her. "We can't afford anymore secrets between us. Not you an' me, and not in the group. It's too dangerous."

Maria nodded silently, wondering what was coming next when his eyes sharpened and his nose wrinkled as he stared at her.

"What I wanna know is: Why was Valenti alone with her in their cabin tonight?"

She thought about that for a few minutes, feeling herself relax when his tone and demeanor changed. "Well, he's been fighting the flu and he's been kinda pissy with everyone for the past couple of days. Maybe he just needed a break so he went to see Liz. They're friends and they do share a common bond."

He frowned at her when her eyes widened and her mouth opened as she inhaled deeply only to turn around and release it on a long, "Ohhhhh!" She suddenly sat up. "Oh my God, Michael!"

He sat up, quickly losing patience with her behavior. "What?"

"Think about it, Guerin," she said excitedly, smacking his shoulder with the back of her hand. "What do Liz and Kyle have in common?"

"Maria," he growled out on an exasperated breath. "Would you just – "

"Michael, they were both shot!" She grabbed his arm and shook him. "They both died and were brought back to life by Max!"

His jaw tightened and he pursed his lips thoughtfully. "His powers are comin' online." He shoved the covers off of himself and got out of bed, looking around on the floor.

"Michael, what're you doing?"

"Get dressed," he shot back at her. "We're gonna go see Valenti."

"Michael, no! It's almost 2am," she pleaded. "Look, it's been a crazy night and Kyle must've needed some time to himself."

He ignored her and stalked around the bed to snatch his jeans up. "You can get dressed or stay here."

Maria swung her legs over the side of the bed, hugging the blankets to herself in an effort to retain their warmth. She watched him as he pulled on his jeans, momentarily admiring the view before he covered up. She sighed in annoyance when he bent over to grab his thermal undershirt and pulled it on. "Michael, please! Would you just stop and think about this? He's alone with Isabel in their cabin… did you happen to see her face when Max went after Kyle?" She released her grip on the blankets and slipped out of bed to stand before him.

She reached up, her fingertips ghosting across his jaw line and up over his cheek. "Please let them have this time alone. Kyle's her confidant. Maybe she'll get him to open up to her."

His stubborn gaze moved to the clock on the nightstand and then back to her. He could see the gooseflesh breaking out on her body and his voice was markedly softer when he spoke again. "You're cold. You should get back in bed."

"It's cold without you," she said softly. "Come with me?"

"We're up early to talk to him," he insisted.

"Alright."

His eyes traveled over her body, making a more thorough journey this time. The firelight played over her soft skin and he quickly stripped his shirt off again. His gaze was predatory as he followed her movements when she climbed back into bed, hiding her beautiful body beneath the covers. He growled low in his throat when she lifted the blanket in invitation and he hurried to rid himself of his jeans.

Their joining earlier had been about him. He made no apologies for it and she wouldn't ask for them. She understood. _This time would be different,_ he thought as he slid in beside her and let her pull him into her arms.


	46. Chapter 46

**Part 46**

Max lay awake long into the night, unconsciously turning his ring on his finger and frowning up at the ceiling. Beside him Liz slept lightly, her restless movements waking her on a frequent basis. Beyond letting him know that she wasn't ready to talk she hadn't spoken to him and even though she had woken up at least half a dozen times she hadn't uttered a word. He glanced at her when she shifted again, rolling to her side and pulling the knotted blankets with her. He had given up trying to keep them untangled when his efforts had startled her out of sleep. His gaze traveled over her distraught features, hurting at the pain so evident in the pinched lines on her face.

She had withdrawn once sleep had finally claimed her, physically pulling away from him. As much as it hurt he had respected her obvious need for space, forcing himself to be patient and wait for her to come to him. He wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and let her know he didn't fault her for anything that had happened and that everything would be alright, but she wasn't ready for that. He squeezed his eyes shut and sighed raggedly when she inched closer to the edge of the bed, making a sound that was somewhere between a whimper and a moan.

How many ways could he hurt her before she couldn't take anymore? He thought about a time not that long ago when she had started to change, developing abilities that she had never wanted. He held his hand up to stare at it, thinking about the way he had pushed when he had taken her out into the desert with the intention of healing her. Instead of helping her he had only managed to cause her more pain. If it hadn't been for Kyle yelling at him to stop he didn't know what he might have done out of his sheer desperation as he tried to help her.

"Max?"

He was sure his heart stuttered in his chest when he heard Liz call his name so quietly he was afraid his mind was conjuring her voice up. He swallowed hard, his throat suddenly feeling so dry that it was difficult to convince it to work. "I'm here," he said, cringing internally at his response. _I__'__m__here.__Of__course__you__'__re__here,__you__idiot._

"I'm sorry about…"

"No." He sat up quickly and shook his head. "Liz, no, you have nothing to be sorry for!" he said insistently. "What happened wasn't your fault, it was mine. You've never failed me, Liz." He ran a hand over his face. "I failed you. I knew you'd never betray me like that, but I let it push us apart. If I'd been the guy you believed I was I never would've allowed that to happen."

She shook her head negatively.

"I never saw this guy so I have no way of knowing the truth about him. I can speculate… and what I can speculate is that if that guy was me then I only lost more of my common sense as I got older." He snorted softly, hiding his relief when she moved closer and reached out to touch his arm. "Because there's no way I would've been jealous of Kyle."

"You said…" she trailed off. "He said the same thing."

"Well, then maybe I hadn't lost all my faculties. That's something I guess."

"You knew I hadn't slept with him, Max." She blushed lightly. "There are some things that a lie can't hide and our wedding night…" She cleared her throat and mentally rolled her eyes at the hint of a smile on his face. "So when you found him here with me earlier, why were you so upset?"

"Because finding him here alone with you, it just put me back in that moment, Liz." His back teeth started to grind. "Seeing you with him in your bed, that hurt. Even then my mind fought against the obvious conclusion. But, watching you with him," he swallowed hard, "seeing him make you laugh so openly at a time when I couldn't seem to do anything to make you happy…"

Liz shook her head as the smallest of smiles graced her lips. "We were talking about you, Max."

His eyebrows shot up at her confession. "Me?"

"Yeah, you. You were this amazing person in my life, even with everything going on. I asked Kyle if he felt different after you healed him because I wanted to know if he had similar feelings… that it had somehow changed me. And then when I asked him if he saw things when you healed him he said no, but then he turned right around and made me laugh when he said…"

Max shifted to look at her more fully when she paused. "What'd he say?"

"I was trying to remember what it was he said exactly." Her brow furrowed as she thought, trying to get the words right. "I've got it," she said after mulling it over for a few moments. "He had this completely serious look on his face when he said he hadn't seen any flashes or images and then he went on to say that since you healed him he kept getting flashes of you naked."

He frowned when she giggled at the memory. "That was funny?"

"Max, he has a great sense of humor, and at that moment I really needed to laugh. It wasn't just what he said; it was his expression and the way he said it." She sobered. "He made me laugh." She took a deep breath and fell silent, giving him time to absorb what she had told him. "You know, it's weird, but while I was in the bathroom trying to psyche myself up for that moment your future self was in there with me. You… he kept saying he didn't think it was a good plan."

"It wasn't," he agreed. He sighed heavily and returned to staring at the ceiling. "I knew that whole thing wasn't right. It felt wrong, and not just because you and Kyle were in bed together. Naked," he bit out. "Was that part really necessary?"

"And you say you'd never be jealous of Kyle." She snorted and folded her pillow in half, resting her head on it as she rolled onto her side to face him. "He and I never got that involved at any point in our shared history."

"He got to second base."

"I don't even want to know how you know that," she said with a roll of her eyes. "But since you make it to home plate on a fairly regular basis I think we should just leave my history with Kyle in the past. Where it belongs."

He nodded and shifted to mimic her pose as he met her gaze in the muted moonlight filtering in through the window. "I'm sorry, Liz. If I had been the person you needed me to be I wouldn't have allowed that to push us apart. I dragged my feet with Tess and I can see that so clearly now. It was there at the time, the knowledge that I wasn't fighting hard enough, but…" he shook his head. "I let it get away from me. You deserved so much more than I gave you. Time after time you gave me everything you had and all I did was screw it up for you."

"Max, you make it sound like I had no will of my own. I'm not a mindless drone."

He reached out to press his forefinger against her lips, silencing her. "Liz, I'm the reason your shot at Harvard got blown, I'm the guy you got arrested for because I put a gun in your hands and you helped me hold up a gas station – "

"You didn't make me do that. You can take responsibility for a lot of things, but my actions aren't one of them. You put the gun in my hands, yes, but I was more than willing to help you. Do you remember what I said to you that night? Before we went inside you told me I didn't have to do it, remember? What'd I say to you?"

"That we were in it together." He swallowed hard. "Together till the end."

"Holding up the station wasn't one of our brightest moves." She smiled and it was tinged with exhaustion. "But that vow still holds true, Max."

He wrapped his hand around hers and brought it up to hold it against his chest. "You said that you believed him… me… when he came to you because of what he said about Isabel and Michael, but I don't understand why he wanted you to go to such lengths to drive a wedge between us."

"I told you he wanted me to help him, you, fall out of love with me."

"That's ridiculous. He still didn't achieve that goal. I never fell out of love with you. Sounds to me like he wanted you to do all the work, come up with the plans."

"He insisted. He told me about Michael and Isabel after I gave you that whole Romeo and Juliet speech and told you… I said…"

He could see how difficult it was for her to bring that up. "That I couldn't stop what was happening to me and that my life would always be dangerous but yours didn't have to be. You were only in danger if you were with me." His eyes burned as he remembered every wound she had inflicted with those words. "You said you wanted to be in love with normal boys, see your 21st birthday, a wedding day, to have children, and for them to be safe." His throat burned as he forced the next words out. "That you loved me but you didn't want to die for me."

She could see the pain in his eyes as he said the words aloud, each one seeming to cut him deeper. "You don't know what it cost me to say those words to you, Max."

"Wasn't that enough? Why pour salt in the wound by having me see you with Kyle?"

"You… He said it wasn't enough, that it wasn't working."

"No," he mused quietly. "It hurt like hell, but it didn't make me fall out of love with you." He sighed raggedly. "Neither did that whole mess with Kyle, so why did that make him think his mission was successful?"

"I don't know." She frowned. _That__was__a__good__point._

"How did that setup happen? What made you choose that scenario?"

"Maria," she said quietly. "She was telling me about finding Michael and Courtney together and how awful it made her feel when she saw the guilty look on his face."

"But how could you know when I'd be there? Oh," he said, answering his own question, "he told you I'd come to you with the tickets. It must've been a hell of a concert if he needed you to derail me that quickly."

"He said we never made it to the concert." She stared at her forefinger as she traced random patterns on his chest. "Apparently we never made it past my bedroom the night of the concert." She gave him a shove when he smirked at her revelation.

"So, if things hadn't been changed we would've had sex that night." His expression turned speculative. "I won't deny that I wanted us to make that move, but you hadn't indicated you were ready…"

"Because I wasn't! But according to your future self you were carrying protection around in your back pocket."

He smiled slightly at the annoyed tone in her voice. "Liz, every guy my age has a condom in his wallet."

"Then why didn't you use it?" she asked before she could stop the words.

His gaze dropped and he sighed. "I don't know. I should have, I know that, but if I had Zan wouldn't exist now. He's my son, Liz, and even though I can't be with him I can't just wish him away. I know that would make things so much easier and as much as I want to take that pain from you…" he shook his head.

"He's your son, Max." She forced herself to meet his gaze. "I know we weren't together when you and Tess… but it still hurt. Seeing me with Kyle like that, it was designed to push you at Tess, but I wasn't ready to face what that meant when the two of you really started spending time together."

"Seeing you and Kyle together didn't make me do anything, Liz. Okay, yeah, I started spending time with Tess, but choosing to have sex with her…" he shrugged one shoulder. "Yes, I was hurt, I felt betrayed, and I was angry, but I also let Tess play her mind games with me. She fed my ego and I let her, she used learning about our past as an excuse and I played along. Part of me did want it and I wish I could blame it all on her screwing with my head but I know I've gotta take responsibility for what happened. The choices were mine to make, and I'm the only one responsible for them."

"We've both made choices, Max. Choices that have turned out good and bad…" she trailed off and averted her gaze. "Some of them were just harder to make than others."

"I hurt so many people with mine, Liz," he murmured quietly. "You, Isabel, my parents, Michael…" he inhaled deeply. "Your parents, Langley… some of the things I've done there's no forgiveness for." His brow furrowed as his thoughts took him back over the things she had done for him. "I never should've involved you in the search for my son." He shook his head when she started to protest. "Liz, I know you were willing to do whatever was necessary to help me, and you proved that over and over, but I should've seen what it was costing you to be a part of that."

"Max, that's…" she fell silent when he looked at her, his eyes begging her to let him finish.

"I was blind to everything around me and that includes the pain you felt at the constant reminder that I'd slept with Tess and that I'd gotten her pregnant. It was selfish on my part to include you in that search. I needed someone who would support me and be there for me and I completely overlooked what you needed."

"You needed that closure."

"Yeah, but you didn't need to be involved in that mess."

"Maybe not, but I could've said no at any time."

"You put yourself through all of that for me, Liz."

"That was a big part of it but even I'm not all that altruistic, Max."

His eyebrow quirked at her admission. "What?"

"She got her claws into you once, Max, and as much as I wanted to blame her for all of it I couldn't. I knew when we found Zan we'd find her. You let her in once and I wasn't willing to risk it happening again."

He sat up slowly and rubbed his face with his hands. "You didn't trust me."

Liz looked at him, hearing the flat note in his voice. "Max, it was a lot to take in and we ended up back together without ever really dealing with what had happened." She shifted to sit up beside him. "What would've happened if Michael hadn't come out of the chamber that day? He stayed for Maria and you… God, I know you had your son to think about, but it still hurt, Max. You would've gone to Antar with her and at the time you made that decision you were willing to leave us with Alex's killer still on the loose. If Michael hadn't decided to stay we would've been safe, but you… the rest of you…"

"Would've been killed," he said softly.

"Why did you believe me? You refused to listen when I said it was an alien that had killed Alex, but when we got into the chamber I told you that Tess had killed him and Kyle backed me up… what made you believe it then? You didn't even question the validity of the claim at that point."

"Relief," he answered honestly. "Michael did something that I should've done. Something I should've been strong enough to do. You think I saved you, Liz, but the truth is you saved me. Over and over."

Her eyes that had been so dry that it hurt to blink suddenly welled up again and she swallowed with difficulty as she turned to face him, reaching out to cradle his face in her hands. "As much as I wanted to help you find Zan I was scared to death of what would happen to us when we did."

Max reached up to cover her hands, taking them in his and bringing them together against his chest. "I know that was…" he searched for the appropriate word, "an impossible situation for you and living with Zan in our lives might not be something we could survive." He took a deep breath and released it slowly. "There's a part of me that'll never be whole because he's not in my life and that part, it aches, Liz." He swallowed hard, pushing the sudden lump in his throat down. "Every kid I see just pushes it back to the surface and the closer they are to his age the more it makes me think about Zan and who he's becoming. He's changing every day, Liz, growing up, and I'm not there to see it." He cleared his throat. "I know he's completely human, that amazingly enough he wasn't cursed with anything alien that would set him apart and make him a target, but even without that he's a part of me."

She moved her hands just slightly so that she could wrap her fingers around his. "Max, I could see how badly it hurt you to let him go, how much it still hurts you every day, and I only wish there was a way I could take back the relief I felt when you decided to give him up for adoption."

"You're not the only one who was relieved," he admitted, the words coming out with difficulty. "As much as I wanted to keep him I knew things were different and my life wasn't in danger it could mean eventually having to choose between the two of you." He dropped his gaze to their joined hands. "I didn't want that responsibility and because I'll most likely always be in danger of exposure it made the decision…" he shook his head. "Not easy but, easier than if that threat didn't exist. If I'd been able to keep him I know he would've reminded you every day that I slept with Tess. I can only imagine how difficult that would've been for you and when we were searching for him I never let myself think about how that would affect you."

"I wish I could say that I would've been able to look at Zan without remembering how he…" she cleared her throat. "I want to say I'm a big enough person that I could see past that and just be in awe of how great he was because he was a part of you, but I don't know if I could've done that."

He nodded. "I know."

"I remember watching you with him and thinking that he had your features." She gave him a small smile when he looked up at her. "I looked into your son's eyes and I could see you. I don't know what would've happened if you hadn't had to make the choice to give him up, if I could've seen past who his mother was. For his sake and yours, if we ever get the opportunity to have him in our lives, I hope I'm strong enough to see him for who he is."

Max looked up at her, the tears in his eyes making his irises darker. "I'm sorry, Liz."

"Max," she whispered, shaking her head as she studied his face and absentmindedly noted that the dim light coming in through the window announced the arrival of morning. "We can't make up for the past, neither of us." She stroked his jaw with her fingertips. "All we can do is to do our best going forward."

He nodded. "I am." He covered her hand with his, turning his head to press a kiss into her palm. "I promise you I'll do everything I can to be the man I should be. The man you deserve."

"We need to let the past stay in the past. It's time for us to move forward and for the first time I think we're really at a place where we can do that."

"I love you, Liz. No matter what mistakes I've made in the past, that's never changed. The depth of that love has grown, deepened, but loving you has never been in question."

"Do me a favor, Max?" She waited until he nodded in response. "Stop referring to the mistakes in the past as yours alone. We've both made mistakes and we'll make more, that's a given. I think our biggest problem is our lack of communication, so let's just promise right now that from this point on we'll talk about things no matter how small they are. Just get everything out in the open and stop our problems from getting so big that they seem impossible to deal with. Okay?"

"Deal," he said with a tired smile.

"I love you so much, Max. So much," she whispered.

"Maybe I should get up and make some breakfast," he said after a while. "Think you could eat a little somethin'?"

She smiled at his offer. She wasn't really hungry but she knew neither of them would sleep any more. "Sure, but just something small."

He leaned over to kiss her, watching her for a moment before climbing out of bed with a promise to keep it small. He wandered into the kitchen and started looking through the refrigerator and cabinets, searching for something nourishing that wouldn't be too heavy. He finally settled on oatmeal and put a pot of water on to boil. He tore open a packet of the instant oatmeal and dumped it into a bowl, pushing the dry mix around and making a face. He didn't much care for the sticky, lumpy mush, but for some reason he didn't understand Liz loved it.

He thought about everything they had talked about and he finally felt peace settle over some of the old wounds. She was right, they did have a habit of letting things get swept under the rug and then just ignoring them, and they needed to make an effort to really deal with problems when they crept up. They had the opportunity to start fresh and keep the lines of communication open between them. He knew it would take work because they had become accustomed to talking around their problems instead of facing them. Their situation hadn't helped things either. Being stuck in the van with four other people made it easy to let the problems remain buried because who wanted to have a confrontation with an audience?

He rolled his shoulders back and turned his head to the side when he heard the water come on in the shower. He listened to the subtle change in the sound the water made as it was prevented from directly hitting the shower floor. Without even giving it a second thought he reached out blindly and turned the stove off.

Liz felt herself really beginning to relax for the first time in longer than she could remember. Talking to Max about things had made a difference, she could feel it. The hot water from the showerhead pounded against her shoulders and her muscles began to loosen up. Her nerves were humming below the surface in trepidation of the meeting that waited for them once everyone was up and ready to talk. _Hopefully__it__would__go__a__lot__smoother__than__it__had__the__night__before,_ she mused with a roll of her eyes. Her thoughts were interrupted by a quiet knock on the door and she tipped her head back in order to hear. "Yes?" She heard the creak of the hinges as the door was pushed open partially.

"Would you like to…" Max started, ducking his head inside and peering around the door. He froze, his gaze riveted to her form that was out of focus courtesy of the frosted glass. Not that he needed a clear view to see her; his wife's body was indelibly imprinted in his mind. "Um… postpone breakfast?"

She opened the door slightly, unable to hear him clearly between the running water and the enclosed space. "What's that?" She blinked away a few droplets of water and as her eyes landed on him she felt her body's automatic reaction to him.

Max felt his confidence notch up significantly when he recognized the look on her face. "Not hungry?" He shrugged one shoulder when she gave him a slight smile. The first one in what felt like days. "I mean, not for breakfast?"

"No, I'm, uh, I'm not really hungry this morning." Her eyes followed his every move as he pulled his shirt off and then reached for the button at the top of his jeans. "Not for breakfast," she said, her tone softly mocking.

He finished stripping his clothes off and shouldered his way into the shower. He ducked his head under the spray, soaking himself and then backing away to shake his head.

Liz laughed when his actions reminded her of a wet dog. She watched him as he shifted around her and reached for the bottle of shampoo sitting on the shelf. "What're you doing?" she asked when he popped the top open on the heather-scented Luscious Locks. He didn't answer for a moment as he paused to inhale the shampoo's scent and lifted his gaze to meet hers. She felt her breath catch in her throat when he gave her the look that never failed to make her stomach flutter like crazy. Even those his eyes showed his weariness she saw some of it lift from him as he relaxed and when he spoke she heard the change in his tone and demeanor.

"Thought I'd give you a hand bathing… wash your hair."

Her smile turned coy and she suddenly felt energized. "Just a shampoo?" She gave him a nod of consent and he backed her under the spray, wetting her hair down before tugging her forward again.

Max squeezed a small amount of shampoo into his palm and set the bottle aside, rubbing his hands together before beginning to slowly run his hands through her hair. He worked the shampoo into a lather, massaging her scalp and smiling when she started making a quiet purring sound.

Liz sighed in pleasure as her muscles began to unknot under his careful touch. "Oh, that feels good."

_I__'__m__gonna__spend__the__rest__of__my__life__making__you__feel__good,_ he thought. "Close your eyes," he murmured, waiting until she complied before he tipped her chin up so the water was running over her head and rinsing the shampoo away. His eyes followed the water as it ran over her closed mouth, separating at her chin, and hitting her shoulders to cascade over her soft breasts. His mouth felt dry as the desert as she came out from under the spray and wiped her hands over her eyes before looking up at him.

"That was wonderful," she said as she turned. She caught her hair in her right hand, moving it over her shoulder. "Wash my back?"

His gaze traveled over her and he reached out to graze her shoulder with the backs of his knuckles. He was holding himself in check as he quietly asked, "Just your back?" He saw her cheek curve in a quiet smile and he nodded as he looked around for a washcloth. When he didn't spot one he squeezed some of the body wash into his palm and put the bottle aside before using both hands to work it into a good lather. He started at her shoulders, massaging them with just enough pressure to make her groan and sigh. Every sound she made sent more of his blood rushing south.

Liz felt like she was going to combust when his hands changed direction and started to run over her back in long sweeping strokes. She tipped her head back and her eyes slid closed when his touches became feather-light along her lower back. His fingers spread out to grip her waist, applying just enough pressure to turn her around and rinse the soap from her body.

Max could see the flush of arousal staining her skin and it amazed him that his touch affected her so deeply. "I can continue…" he said and it came out sounding more like a question.

"You could…" she whispered as her hand trailed up over his chest. "Or…" Her eyes followed the teasing touch and she smiled when he took a step towards her. His body, taut and aroused, called out to her in the most elemental way, speaking to something deep inside of her. Her eyes lifted to his when he caught her hand, entwining their fingers before lifting their joined hands to his lips. The brush of his lips against her knuckles sent an electrical current straight through her and she knew from the way his eyes darkened that he could feel the effect he was having on her.

He felt the tenuous hold on his control snap when her lips turned up at the corners and she gave an almost unnoticeable shake of her head. They reached for each other at the same time, their mouths coming together in a kiss that ignited the passion lying below the surface just waiting to explode. Without breaking contact he grasped the backs of her thighs and lifted her up, holding her steady until he felt her legs lock around his waist. He turned, reaching behind her with his right hand long enough to place his palm flat against the tiled wall, heating it so she wouldn't get a rude surprise when her back came in contact with it.

Her fingers combed through his wet hair, leaving it standing up in spikes before tangling in the short hair at the back of his neck. Her back settled against the warmed tiles and she moved against him, letting him know without words what she wanted. She tightened her grip, giving his hair a sharp tug to get his attention.

Max slowly broke the kiss but put less than a breath of distance between them as he met her gaze. He could see the need in her eyes, could feel the heat searing him straight through, and he maintained eye contact as their bodies came together in a passionate, healing union.

Cradled in her husband's loving arms, Liz basked in the aftermath of their lovemaking. For the first time in too long she could see their future together and it felt so right. Her lips curved upwards as she reveled in the memory of the flashes she had experienced as they made love. It had been so long since she had experienced them and it was just further proof that things between them were coming together and stabilizing.

She didn't completely understand some of the scenes in the flashes, but she had also learned that not all of what she saw in the flashes could be rationalized. The stars were a predominant feature in the flashes and they were usually accompanied by other things, snapshots that blended together but not necessarily in any kind of order. She was roused from her euphoric thoughts at Max's touch and she complied easily when he walked them under the spray so they could wash off.

He was silent as he turned the water off and he stepped out, offering her a hand to steady her as she followed him. He pulled down a large fluffy towel, drying her off before wrapping her in it and lifting his hands to sift through her hair. He lips quirked in a hint of a smile as he used his powers to leave her hair dry and soft as silk. He toweled off quickly and scooped her up in his arms, carrying her to bed and placing her on the mattress.

His expression was pensive as he settled beside her, bracing his weight on his elbow and letting her hair slide through his fingers. It was a habit that soothed him, calmed his nerves for no reason he could think of. "Do you remember me tellin' you we had to take a step back when we were in high school? That you made me forget anything else existed and that it wasn't real?"

Liz had been watching him, wondering what was on his mind. Whatever she had been expecting, it hadn't been that. "Kinda hard to forget that," she said with a slight smile.

"I was wrong." His hand slipped down to cradle her jaw and he looked into her eyes for several long moments before he spoke again. "I told you it had thrown me off balance, and it did. But not for the reason I thought. What we had… what we _have_, it's real. It's the most real thing in my life. The reason I was off balance was because I shut everything else out and put all of my focus on you, on us, and I forgot about everything around me. Being with you, it's right. When I'm with you I have balance."

She stretched up to brush her lips against his. "We can do this, Max." She smiled and her misty eyes sparkled. "Together we can do anything." She pulled him down next to her and shifted around until she was cradled against his body.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Maria shivered as she rolled over, blindly searching out Michael's warmth. If it weren't for the cold draft that she couldn't seem to escape from she'd be content to stay cocooned in the sheets and blankets after their long night. She mentally groaned when the cold insistently brought her awake to face the dark of a too early morning. She reached across the sheets, seeking out Michael and frowning when she came up empty-handed.

One green eye cracked open, blearily glancing at the little red blobs that linked together to form the 8:15am on the alarm clock. She shivered again and turned her head to the side, rubbing her eyes and sighing when she recognized the sound of the shower running. She vaguely registered the dim light emanating from the low fire burning in the fireplace as her brain began to kick in and helpfully reminded her of the deal she had made with Michael to keep him from going over to Kyle and Isabel's cabin in the middle of the night.

Her mind rebelled at that memory as she silently counted to three, sitting up and swinging her legs over the edge of the bed as she sought out Michael's thermal shirt from the night before. As the cold made itself known she began to shuffle the blankets around near the bottom of the bed, quickly advancing from shivering to all out shaking. She chattered out a triumphant "yes!" as she caught sight of the familiar cotton weave pinned beneath her hand and just barely holding on to the edge of the bed.

She gave the material a quick jerk, pulling it into her hands and hurrying to pull it on. As she pulled her hair free from the shirt's collar she caught Michael's scent and she snuggled into it, enjoying the combination of warmth and his smell. The oversized shirt began to chase the chill away and as her body unfolded in a pleasurable stretch she finished with a languorous yawn.

_Okay,__DeLuca,__time__to__make__good__on__that__deal__you__made__with__Michael._ She shot a glare at the floor that she already knew was going to feel like ice under her feet and shivered at the thought of leaving the bed. _Time__to__get__up._ She made a face and leaned over the edge of the bed, dreading what was waiting for her. She shook her head at the mess. Boxers, jeans, an open box of condoms with several of the foil packets spilled out. Just the way her messy hybrid had left things the night before.

She hissed when the soles of her feet made contact with the floor, but it was all the incentive to move into the kitchen area and take refuge on the small rug in front of the sink. She debated between starting a pot of coffee and joining him in the shower. Just the thought was enough to stoke the heat deep inside of her and it brought a smile to her lips as her memory wandered to his lips and large hands gently mapping her body the night before. That was all it took to decide on the shower, but just as her brain made a decision the water was abruptly turned off.

The metal shower rings screeched in protest as the curtain was thrown open. She listened to him stomping around the bathroom as he dried himself off and she reached for the coffee pot. She turned when the door was jerked open, feeling her breath catch in her throat when she caught sight of him. His hair was shaggy and damp and he was doing his best to keep a hold on the towel slung low around his hips.

Michael's hurried movements slowed for a moment as he took Maria's appearance in but he quickly shook himself out of it. "You've got 10 minutes," he barked, forcing his mind to stay on business.

Maria crossed her arms over her chest as he moved to the bedroom, searching his clean clothes and the bed for another thermal shirt. She smirked slightly as she watched him, knowing that in his hurry he had forgotten that she was wearing the really warm one. She followed him over to the bed and gave him a sweet smile.

"Michael, we need coffee first." She lowered her voice and injected just a hint of pleading into her tone. "Please?"

He huffed out an impatient breath as he pulled his jeans up over his hips. "Maria, this isn't some kissy-kissy morning. We've gotta get goin'."

Her bottom lip jutted out in a pout. "Michael, it's cold in here. You didn't even start a fire in the fireplace. Can I at least get a kiss?"

Michael shifted his attention to the dirty clothes, searching for the elusive shirt and answering her without bothering to look at her. "I don't know… can you?"

Maria rolled her eyes. _Did__Michael__Guerin__just__correct__my__grammar?__Oh,__no,__buddy,__so__not__happening._ She narrowed her eyes at him and placed her hands on her hips. "Looking for your thermal shirt?"

His eyes locked on hers for a split second before dropping to her shoulders and then roaming over the tight points of her breasts. His mouth opened and closed several times before he was able to get the words out. "Gimme my shirt."

She shifted her weight and pushed one hip out as she put on a thoughtful expression.

He took a step towards her. "C'mon, Maria, we don't have time for this."

She shook her head negatively but her eyes sparkled with amusement. "You want this shirt, you have to ask nicely."

His lips pulled tight for a moment before he uttered a, "Fine. Maria, give me that shirt."

Her expressive eyes rolled again. "Try again." She smirked at him. "You can do it."

Michael growled in annoyance but finally gritted the words out from between clenched teeth. "Maria… may I have my shirt back?"

She snorted and then grinned at him. "This shirt's being worn right now 'cause it's cold in here. Maybe if you make some hot coffee and start a fire in the fireplace…" she began to back up towards the bathroom.

He took notice of the sudden gleam in her eyes as she turned to make a run for the bathroom. He rushed after her, tackling her and making sure he took the hit to the floor with his own body, landing with her in his arms.

"Michael!" she squealed in surprise.

He pulled her up against him, lowering his head and nuzzling his nose in the crook of her neck. "My shirt."

She relaxed in his arms and leaned her head against his. "Yes, Michael, it's your shirt." She hid a smile and gave him a nudge. "Let me up so you can have your shirt."

His voice softened but it still held an edge of seriousness when he spoke. "We really do have to go. We've gotta find out what's going on with Kyle."

She nodded in agreement, fully understanding the gravity of the situation. He released his grip on her and he got to his feet, holding his hand out to her and pulling her up when she took it. As she faced him her eyes shimmered mirthfully and in one smooth motion she pulled his shirt up and over her head. She held it out to him, enjoying his slack-jawed expression as he blindly reached for it. Before he could string two words together she turned to walk into the bathroom, leaving him standing there with a stunned look on his face.

It was the memory of the gooseflesh prickling her skin that had him moving and with a flick of his wrist the fire in the fireplace burst into life. He moved to the kitchen, pulling the shirt on over his head and tugging the neckline up to his nose and inhaling Maria's scent. He smiled slowly as he released it to start the coffee, reaching over to snag the Tigger and Winnie the Pooh mugs sitting side by side next to the sink.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was the burning sensation at the back of her neck that woke Isabel from a deep sleep. Her body was stiff and demanded that she stretch, but as she opened her eyes and looked around she realized that wasn't going to happen anytime soon. Kyle was still sleeping, his head a heavy weight in her lap. There was no evidence of the insomnia that had been dogging him recently, his relaxed features appearing boyish and reflecting the caring person he had always been with her.

Her attention was pulled away from him when the light flickered, drawing her gaze to the television that was still tuned to the weather channel. Red letters scrolled across the bottom of the screen, displaying the forecast for Tawas Lake and its surrounding areas. _Low__temperatures__this__afternoon__accompanied__by__winds__from__the__north__will__bring__a__sharp__drop__in__the__mercury,__bringing__in__subzero__temperatures__by__early__evening.__Extreme__cold__health__hazard.__Extreme__caution__for__those__who__must__be__outside__tonight._

The warning alone was enough to make her shiver. She glanced around, searching for the remote and finally locating it lying on Kyle's stomach just above his jeans. Her eyes flicked over his silver belt buckle and her eyes widened slightly as she quickly averted her gaze. _Oh__my__God,__was__she__checking__out__Kyle__Valenti?_

_No,_ she reassured herself. _He__was__a__good__friend__and__confidant.__She__was__only__concerned__for__her__friend.__That__'__s__all.__Nothing__else._ She frowned as her mind scrambled around, searching for some semblance of sanity. _Her__friend,__her__confidant__… __when__had__that__happened?_ She thought about it, selecting moments in the past when she had sought him out because she didn't know what to do with herself. Moments when she had been upset or unsettled and somehow, some way, Kyle had become an anchor for her.

Her lips turned down in a frown again as she tried to pinpoint the moment when she had started to rely on him for help and comfort. After Alex's death, that much she was sure of. It had really become evident when she was dating Jesse and she had broken up with him. She had gone to Kyle without even thinking about it. She had just needed someone to talk to. That's all it was, she reminded herself. He knew her, knew all of them, and he had kept their secret. She trusted him.

She loved Jesse. He was smart and kind, ambitious, but like her dad he was a family man. She'd had a future with him, an opportunity to live a normal life and have a relationship that was warm and caring like her parents had. But there had been times when she had relied on Kyle, needed a friend who understood… The frown furrowing her brow deepened as she realized she couldn't pinpoint a single moment when she had completely opened herself up to Jesse. The next thought swept through her mind like a breeze pushing the cobwebs away.

_It__'__s__why__you__left__him__behind.__You__let__him__go__because__the__moment__he__showed__up__with__the__van__you__knew__this__was__permanent.__His__life__was__over__and__everything__he__'__d__worked__for__would__be__wasted__if__he__left__with__you._ There had been no way to pretend they would ever have a normal life. Who they were would always be there, the danger would always exist, and she couldn't let him give up anymore of his life. He had already killed for her.

In that moment she knew the truth. It had been staring her in the face all along but she hadn't been able to see it. She loved Jesse fiercely, but she wasn't in love with him the way she should've been. She squeezed her eyes shut as the next thought rolled through her mind. _Why__wasn__'__t__she?_

A lump formed in her throat and she swallowed several times in an attempt to force it down. She could feel the skin of her face tightening as she tried to hold her emotions back. Her head slowly dropped back to rest against the loveseat as his name whispered across her lips.

"Alex."

Kyle stirred in his sleep as she reached up to wipe away the single tear that had escaped. She shifted with him, stretching her back as well as she could without disturbing him. She glanced at the window, wondering what time it was as she noticed that night was slowly giving way to the early morning gray of dawn. She sighed when Kyle settled against her and as his breathing began to even out once more her own eyes started to slip closed and without realizing it she dozed off.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Maria walked beside Michael, using his larger frame as a windbreak against the biting breeze that blew every few minutes. She grabbed his arm as he approached the door to Kyle and Isabel's cabin, his hand fisted and ready to cut loose with what was sure to be a rude awakening. "Maybe we could be a little less obnoxious this morning. They might be sleeping." She reached up when he gestured to the door, knocking quietly.

A look of impatience settled across Michael's features when the knock didn't receive an immediate response. He placed his hands on her arms, moving her aside and resting his hand over the lock on the door. He used his powers, mentally turning the tumbler and unlocking it. He pushed the door open and walked inside, glancing around and doing a double take when he saw Isabel and Kyle on the loveseat.

Isabel awoke with a start and just barely caught herself before she upended Kyle and tossed him on the floor. "Don't you know how to knock?" she grumbled.

"Tried that," Michael bit out, still trying to make sense of what he was seeing.

Maria came in behind him, closing the door and speaking quietly. "Michael, did you just unlock the door and walk in? You can't do that."

"We tried your way and you didn't want me pounding on the door." He shrugged. "It was a compromise."

She noticed Isabel and she stepped around Michael to stand in front of him. "I'm so sorry, Isabel. I tried to stop him but he's…" She trailed off as she took in the scene. Kyle was just waking up, half-asleep and clumsily trying to sit up. She watched as he pulled the fleece blanket around so that Isabel had some of it while he stretched and rubbed his face.

Kyle froze mid-yawn when he turned his head and noticed their company. He worked his jaw to rid himself of a cramp before he looked at Isabel. "How long was I out?" He glanced back at Michael, taking in his expression. "Not long enough," he muttered. He rubbed his neck and turned to check the front door when it opened again and he rolled his eyes when Max and Liz walked in. He shoved himself to his feet, wincing at the rush of tingles that raced through his legs as he put his weight on them and heading for the bathroom. "Let me guess, it's meeting time again," he tossed over his shoulder.


	47. Chapter 47

**Author's Note: **A small scene in this part was borrowed from the Season One episode Four Square, a few lines were borrowed from the Season One episode Tess, Lies & Video Tape, and a couple of lines were borrowed from the Season Two episode Harvest.

**Part 47**

Michael glanced over his shoulder, shooting a quick look at the new arrivals and deciding that somewhere in the night something had been settled between them. He turned back to Isabel, his speculative gaze moving over the loveseat and then to the blanket she was folding up. Her eyes were searing into him like laser beams, just daring him to say a single word about what they had walked in on. Normally he was smart enough to know when to stick a sock in it but he wanted answers.

Beside him, Maria took an unsubtle shot at his ribs with her elbow. "I think if I were you I'd rethink what you're about to say."

He opened his mouth, ready to charge ahead despite the warnings coming at him from all directions but before he could get a word out, Max spoke.

"Whatever you're about to ask probably isn't what we need to focus on," Max said

Isabel snorted, drawing their gazes. "Whatever the two of you think you need to talk about isn't up for a group discussion."

Before one or both of them could ruin the moment and risk releasing Isabel's wrath Liz stepped forward. "We're all pretty strung out after last night," she said quietly. "Was Kyle able to get any rest?" She slipped her hand into Max's, interlacing their fingers and squeezing his hand tightly. "He hasn't slept in days and I'm worried about him."

"He said what's bothering him?" Michael barreled straight into the conversation in an attempt to get it moving along.

"He did finally fall asleep early this morning," Isabel said and put the perfectly folded up blanket on the loveseat. "He'd still be asleep if you hadn't all come barging in here like you had any right to just come in and make yourselves at home."

In the bathroom Kyle was staring at his bloodshot eyes in the mirror and listening to the stilted conversation going on in the living area. He leaned over and placed his cupped hands under the faucet, filling them and splashing it in his face. He repeated the move several times and while it didn't make him feel any better it did fully wake him up. He grabbed a towel and dried his face, running it over his hair to get rid of the loose droplets of water that had splashed into his hair.

He left his hair standing up in several directions, not really caring that he looked a hungover insomniac. He stumbled back out into the living area, paying no attention to the looks he knew he was receiving. He didn't care about the meeting, he ignored the empty coffee pot sitting on the kitchen counter, and he didn't bother with a single pleasantry. He dropped down on the loveseat, falling sideways to prop his head on the blanket Isabel had folded up.

Michael grabbed one of the chairs from the kitchen table and flipped it around, straddling it and resting his forearms on the high back. "Okay, let's get down to business."

Kyle glanced around the room, taking in the different expressions on everyone's faces. The one thing they all had in common was the weariness hanging on their shoulders like heavy cloaks. Max and Liz seemed more at ease with each other. No, he decided, not at ease so much as more confident of their place with each other. His gaze shifted to Michael as he settled into his interrogation position and he shook himself slightly when the authoritative move caused Liz to tense up. Max responded by wrapping his free hand around their joined hands, rubbing her fingers unconsciously. After everything that had happened the night before he could understand the fear and uncertainty he could see in her eyes.

He was shifting when his eyes moved to Michael and his movements slowed when the guy's eyes drilled into him. He could see the hybrid's left forefinger tapping agitatedly against his arm as he settled into a more comfortable position, ignoring the impatient gesture.

Michael's right hand shot up, stopping Max when he saw him open his mouth to speak. "Spit it out, Valenti. What's goin' on?"

Max cleared his throat. "I think that's my question to ask, so if you don't mind – "

"You wanna let him answer the question?"

Maria rolled her eyes at both of them.

"Both of you just zip it," Isabel demanded.

From his chair Michael started drumming his fingers as he waited for Kyle to speak up. "Care to share with the rest of the class?" he gritted out when Kyle didn't immediately respond to his nonverbal cues.

"I was kinda in the middle of confiding in a friend last night when that whole scene went south. So, no, I'm not really in a sharin' mood right now."

The muscle in Michael's jaw began to tic as he clenched his teeth together. "We don't have the luxury of waitin' until you're – "

"He just woke up, Michael," Isabel interrupted before he could go on. "Why don't you give him some time to really wake up before you begin with the inquisition?"

"Isabel, whatever's goin' on affects all of us so he needs to just put whatever's goin' on out there so we can figure out how to handle it."

She glared at him. "Maybe so, but whatever it is let him – "

"What part of 'we don't have the luxury of waiting' did you not understand?" he snapped.

"Would you both cut it out?" Kyle rubbed his temples and rolled into a sitting position. "Look, this whole thing started because I went to see Liz." He was starting to get a headache thanks to all of the arguing and it was beginning to annoy him. "I went to see Liz because apparently the side effects of bein' healed have started kicking in."

"What's that mean?" Michael demanded.

"It means, El Capitan, Kyle's special power is… I don't know what it is, other than disturbing."

"You're gonna have to do better than that, Valenti. Havin' secrets is killin' this group. It's too dangerous so just tell us – "

"He just said he doesn't know what it is," Liz spoke up. "It takes time to come to terms with changing. Not all of us were born with these powers so when they suddenly become a part of us we don't become accustomed to it overnight."

"Liz has a point, Michael," Max said, remembering what she had gone through when her powers had started to reveal themselves. "Maybe we should just let it rest for now."

Michael rubbed his jaw as he considered Max's suggestion. "You showin' any physical signs that your powers are comin' online?"

"I'm not glowin' in the dark or anything," Kyle answered with a roll of his eyes. "Not shootin' sparks from my fingers an' toes, my head's not spinnin' around on my shoulders…"

Max was rubbing his face when he happened to glance at his sister and he paused when he saw the look on her face at Kyle's answer. All their lives all she had wanted was to be normal; to have a normal family, to live a normal life, and to do things that were… well… extraordinary. He knew nothing malicious was meant by Kyle's diatribe and he was certain that if he'd stopped to think his comments most likely would have been censored to protect her feelings. His thoughts were interrupted when the chair legs scraped across the floor and Michael spoke up.

"I'll just take that as a no, smartass," Michael growled. "Alright, we'll table this issue for now." He shot a pointed look at Kyle. "But we'll pick it up again. Soon." He scrubbed his hands over his face before looking around at the others. "For now we'll just focus on last night and this Future Max fiasco."

Liz shifted uncomfortably, relaxing slightly when Max squeezed her hand. She knew they were going to have to discuss it but the last thing she wanted was to go over that again. Especially so soon after that last blowup.

"I think we can all discuss this a little more rationally," Maria said as she glanced at Liz. She knew how hard this situation was on her best friend and she wished there was a way to make it easier. She could still remember how emotionally torn up Liz had been when she had told her about Future Max. That time seemed so distant now. "We've all had time to calm down since last night and we've had time to think about what that visit could've really been."

"Does anyone else find that whole scenario a little too convenient?" Michael asked after a few minutes of silence.

Maria's gaze settled on Liz in the silence that followed on the heels of her boyfriend's question. Her best friend's features were drawn, her body language giving away her unease as he refused to drop the subject. She reached over and placed her hand on Michael's shoulder, giving it a gentle but firm squeeze to get his attention. His position was threatening, his demeanor that of an interrogator rather than a friend, and she had a feeling it was only putting everyone on edge.

Michael looked up at Maria, frowning at her and almost asking her what was wrong with her when she nodded across the room. His hands clenched and unclenched unconsciously as he turned to follow her gaze, watching Max pull Liz into his arms. He shifted to glance at Isabel, watching her for a moment and gnawing on the inside of his bottom lip when he recognized the agitated movements. He forced his posture to relax so that he didn't come across as intimidating, knowing it was what Maria had wanted as soon as her grip on his shoulder eased and she started rubbing instead.

"I'll agree with you on that," Max said, bringing them back to Michael's question. "There're definitely some things that don't add up."

Michael nodded. "The guy – if he was even there in the first place – went to Liz because it's common knowledge you two are each other's weak spots. No one else would've been able to convince you to do what you did." He rushed to continue when Maria's hand flexed, her nails digging into his shoulder. "What I mean is the guy guilted Liz into doing somethin' that went against her better judgment. For all we know it was a setup to push the group apart."

Max shook his head. "The only thing it accomplished was getting me to let Tess in." He rubbed his forehead. "Something that I should've fought harder against. I allowed my resolve to weaken where she was concerned, that's on me." He shrugged one shoulder. "Whoever, whatever, he was, he couldn't have been me," he denied. "And not just because I really don't want that responsibility on my shoulders, but because I wouldn't, I couldn't, have put Liz through that."

Kyle closed his eyes and covered them with his forearm. Did it really matter now? Whatever Future Max, or whatever the guy was, had intended to do by visiting Liz had already been done. It was in the past and whatever the repercussions were it was too late to stop them.

"I agree." Michael thumped his thumb on the chair's high back. "It had to be a setup, designed to push the group apart."

"That's possible."

"Wait, no, it had to be real," Maria said, stopping them before they could go any further. "He was right in front of Liz, he told her she had to make him fall out of love with her to save the world."

Michael snorted. "First, that's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard." He turned his head to look at her. "You really think the survival of this planet hangs in the balance because of them? This isn't some sci-fi fairy tale, Maria. Planets aren't saved or destroyed for love."

"What if he wasn't really there?" Isabel asked, her voice low. "Maybe he was a mindwarp. Or maybe he was from a different timeline altogether." She sighed and walked over to the window to stare outside. "I don't really see why it even matters now."

"It matters because we have no idea what was set into motion by that meeting," Michael insisted. "It matters because these two were runnin' around having secret meetings in the middle of the night, making themselves vulnerable, putting their lives at risk – "

"It was a conversation between two friends," Liz said, jumping back slightly when he shot up out of his chair.

"It wasn't just a conversation," he bit out. "Risk, vulnerability, what part of that don't you understand? You go out in the middle of the night, you're unprotected, at the mercy of anyone or anything that might be out there, and after meeting what you believed to be a future version of Max, a moron who convinced you he was supposed to be with Tess, you never thought twice about bein' out alone? Did you even consider what could've happened to you?"

Max shifted, placing himself between his wife and Michael. "Ease up, Michael," he said quietly.

Maria reached out to wrap her fingers around his arm, pulling him back away from them and wrapping her arms around his waist. She could see the anguish in his dark eyes and knew it was a combination of fear for her safety, hurt that she hadn't trusted him enough to tell him about what had been going on, and anger… she just wasn't sure if that last one was aimed at her or himself.

"The biggest problem with this whole thing is his whole reason for being there was to convince Liz to make me fall out of love with her. If the guy had been me there's no way he ever would've even considered that possibility. I don't care if it was 10 years down the road or a hundred, it would never occur to me that falling out of love with Liz was an option. And that whole setup with me seeing her with Kyle," he shook his head and shot a sharp glance at Kyle who remained unaffected since he wasn't looking at him. "Yeah, it hurt, it pissed me off, but did it make me fall out of love with her? No. And if the guy had been me he would've known that."

_What a romantic notion. It was straight out of a romance novel,_ Isabel thought. She stood at the window, her gaze focused on the little swirls of snow dancing over the surface of the snow-covered ground. The wind seemed to be blowing with greater frequency the longer she stared outside. _As nauseating as it was, Max was right._ She turned away from the hypnotizing scenery and looked at the others. "If that future version of you knew the impossibility of that task then it had to be important. What could've been so important that he believed falling out of love with Liz would change the course of history?"

Kyle snorted at that. "Think about it. If he'd accomplished that goal it would've changed everything. If Tess had gotten her way he would've completely forgotten that Liz even existed."

"That's true," Maria added, warming up to the topic. She had latched onto what Kyle was saying and she tackled the topic with enthusiasm. "She was after Max from the beginning. For all we know that business about the deal with Khivar was a bunch of bull. She got pregnant, which could've been intentional because, please, she was a conniving little witch and she had a motive for everything she did. It's the oldest trick in the book for holding onto a guy. She knew Max wouldn't be able to turn his back on an obligation like that. If she had succeeded in getting Max to fall out of love with Liz would she have gone that far?" She looked at Liz. "You said Future Max told you that Tess left, and she did, but there was nothing said about her being pregnant. That's not something you would've forgotten."

"No," Liz agreed, "but he said she left because of us."

"Okay, so obviously the pregnancy thing didn't happen in that timeline or whatever," Michael said as he leaned back and considered this new theory. "So what you're suggesting is this whole thing was one of her mind tricks. She manipulated the entire thing to fit her agenda."

"It makes perfect sense!" Maria continued. "Think about it! She wanted Max from the very beginning, right? Right! She obviously lied about Zan being able to survive on Earth. Future Max said she left… not that she punched a one-way ticket to Antar. That's something pretty significant so he probably would've mentioned that. If her goal in our timeline was to trick the three of you into going to Antar to be executed why the whole ruse with Max? I think that was a last-ditch attempt to get what she wanted. She obviously didn't expect what happened when she got there… if that's even where she went. We have no way of really knowing whether she actually went to Antar or not."

Max looked between the two of them. "You think Tess manipulated that entire situation?"

Kyle rubbed his forehead as he stood up and he sighed before looking at Max. "I think she had the ability. What I know is Tess and I were in the middle of… things when Liz showed up and wanted to talk to her."

Michael pinched the bridge of his nose. He had let Tess get past his radar. The warning signs had been there but he had been too stubborn to see them. His mind slipped back into the past, to a day when Max had come to him, needing help, needing someone to confide in, and he had shut him down.

"_Michael, I'm worried."_

"_You should be." He had been preoccupied, his thoughts otherwise engaged._

"_It's not about Valenti," Max said, accurately reading Michael's posture. "It's about Tess, Isabel's friend. I'm having these daydreams about her."_

_That had slightly piqued his curiosity. "Daydreams?"_

"_Yeah, where we're together…" He'd felt completely uncomfortable talking about this with Michael. "You know, together."_

_Michael hadn't had any sympathy for him. "I guess you're only human after all, huh?"_

"_It's me," Max insisted. "I'm the problem. Something's happening to me."_

_His patience had quickly worn thin. "Haven't you ever had a fantasy before?"_

"_This is different. It's out of my control. I can't stop it."_

"_We'll work it out."_

Michael frowned. He had been so focused on Valenti having the communicator that he had dismissed their most dangerous problem. He had been so busy being pissed off because Max wasn't listening to him or taking him seriously that he had been unwilling to listen when he had come to him with his concerns about Tess.

_Thanks for the compassion._

He cringed internally as Nicholas' words taunted him.

"_And who do we have here? That gleam of dull stupidity in the eyes. If I'm not mistaken, you must be the king's second in command."_

Yeah, he'd royally screwed that one up. He sighed quietly. _Never again, Max,_ he vowed silently. He stood and reached for Maria's hand, pulling her up against his side. He watched Kyle for several unnerving minutes before the other guy held his hands up in aggravation.

"What?"

"So you don't remember anything that happened between the time you and Tess were getting it on and – "

"Michael!"

"What? He said it, not me," Michael muttered. "You don't remember anything between then and when Liz asked you for help?"

Max straightened up and watched agitation set in as Kyle began to pace. He recognized the behavior. He had seen it at least twice before now; once when he had backed Liz up in the pod chamber when Liz had told them that Tess had killed Alex, and later when he had come face to face with Tess after she returned with Zan.

Kyle could feel the familiar throbbing pressure that indicated he had another headache coming on as he sorted through the memories. He clearly remembered the way he had felt just moments before Liz had knocked on his front door. His feelings for Tess at that moment had been strong and hot and if Liz hadn't interrupted the moment… He shook that thought off, rubbing the back of his neck and trying to ease the knot of tension that was forming.

How had he 'forgot' what they had been about to do? The pain in his head exploded as he tried to force the memory in an effort to recall what had been lost, taken from him. The agonizing knife-in-the-base-of-his-skull pain stopped him in his tracks and he lifted his hands to grip his head.

Isabel moved to stand beside him and she rested her hand on his shoulder.

Kyle lifted his head to look at Max. "All I know is I had her on my radar and I was definitely on hers, and we got interrupted when Liz came by to talk to Tess." He gingerly shook his head. "After that it's all like a bad episode of the Twilight Zone. It's like I can't remember how I got from wantin' some alone time with Tess to wantin' to help Liz the second time she showed up at my door." He didn't look away as he continued. "I won't lie. I helped Liz because I wanted to. She was miserable and I couldn't just say no."

Maria tapped her forefinger against her lips. "I still don't get it," she confessed. "If Tess was mindwarping Liz and we all agree she never had a chance of making him fall out of love with her… what happened to make her stop the mindwarp? It only makes sense that something had to happen to reassure her that things were going the way she wanted to because he disappeared." She snapped her fingers. "End of mindwarp."

Beside her Michael shifted, his eyes meeting Max's for a moment before he lowered his gaze to Maria. "She knew she'd never get him to fall outta love with Liz so she took the next best thing."

She shook her head. "What're you talking about?"

Max felt his chest tighten and his throat felt like it was closing when he heard Michael's quiet answer.

"She just had to get him to a point where he accepted he and Liz could never be together. He as much as conceded defeat when he gave up on her."

Maria shook her head sharply. "Huh-uh, I don't believe that," she denied. "Max never gave up on Liz." She held a hand up when Michael started to protest. "He may have accepted that he had lost any chance of being with her, but no, he never gave up on her."

Michael rubbed the back of his neck as he considered everything that had been said. He didn't want to get into a conversation on who did or didn't give up on whom. "What'd he tell you about the future? I mean, if you hadn't agreed to go along with him what would've happened?"

"I don't know," Liz answered honestly. "Just knowing about him, about what he had said would happen, that was bound to change things in some way." She trailed off and her eyes suddenly widened. "Alex wasn't dead in the other timeline," she choked out. "He wasn't killed by Tess." She shook her head, trying to deny what she had remembered. "When Future Max was telling me about our wedding night he said we eloped." She frowned. "He said I called Maria, Michael, Isabel, and Alex… we were 19 when we eloped and Alex was still alive."

"Oh, Liz," Maria whispered, shaking her head as Liz fought back the tears welling in her eyes. She swallowed hard, trying to force down the lump in her throat as she watched Liz blame herself for Alex's death; a death whose blame could only be placed on the shoulders of that witch Tess. It only took the space of a heartbeat before she was moving, quickly going to her friend. She smoothed Liz's hair back before taking her face in her hands.

Max wanted badly to take his wife in his arms, to comfort her and make her believe that nothing about this situation was her fault. But he could see that she needed Maria in that moment so he stayed close and let her best friend handle things.

Isabel urged Kyle over to the loveseat, pushing him to sit down. She was sick of going over and over what Tess had done… and she hated seeing what it had done to Kyle. Her stomach twisted into knots in response to the sudden revelation that a single choice may have been responsible for taking Alex from them.

"No, Liz, don't even go there. It isn't your fault that witch killed Alex." Maria smoothed her hands over her hair, keeping their gazes locked. "There's no way you could've predicted what would happen whether or not you chose to believe Future Max. Look at me," she insisted when Liz lowered her eyes. "If Alex were here he'd tell you that and you know it."

Isabel stood next to Kyle and she glanced past the others to the corner of the room. Alex stood there watching what was going on and she could see the concern on his face. His steady gray eyes met hers and when he nodded she knew he was agreeing with Maria's statement. A flash of memory suddenly hit her and for a moment she was standing in her mother's kitchen as Tess took her hand. Nausea began to set in and she looked away when her mind wandered down a path she had no interest in revisiting.

"_I have feelings for Max, Isabel. Strong feelings. I know Max loves Liz. That's what everyone tells me. But don't you ever get signals from someone, Isabel?"_

"_Signals?"_

"_You know… moments when you connect with someone. And there's no mistaking what's going on. Like no matter who you may be with, or what you may think, that you and this other person are destined to be together."_

Quickly on the heels of that memory came a flash of her and Michael together. Her brain slammed the door on that particular memory, shutting it down before it could go any farther. No one was expecting it when she suddenly erupted.

"Enough about Tess and Future Max! Tess killed Alex, and no one else is responsible! Like Michael said yesterday, placing the blame serves no purpose. We have no idea what's true or not true, especially if the truth relies on what Tess said or did." She drew in a sharp breath. "She lied about almost everything. She made us see and believe things that weren't there." She shot a quick look at Michael, seeing in his expression that he knew what she was referring to. Her hands clenched involuntarily as she bit out, "She took too much from us and I'm not gonna let her take another minute of my time. This meeting is over!"

Kyle rubbed his temple with one hand and reached for Isabel's arm with the other, his fingers sliding down to take her hand in an effort to calm her. "Hey," he said quietly. He knew the others were paying no attention to them. Michael was making his way over to Maria and she had relinquished her hold on Liz, allowing Max to take his devastated wife into his arms. He had no idea what Max was saying and he figured it was none of his business; it was a private moment between husband and wife.

"You've done nothin' but love me, Liz. You've loved all of us," he insisted, his voice low and his tone comforting. "This is not your fault."

Michael's arm settled around Maria's shoulders and he pulled her up close as he faced the other couple. He was silent for a moment before his gaze locked on Liz. "Like I said last night, blaming each other, blaming ourselves for anything she did stops right now. If anyone should shoulder the blame for this cluster-fuck it's me, okay? I'm the one who sent the damn signal and brought Nacedo and Tess right to our front door."

Kyle could feel the tension running through Isabel and setting her on edge. His own tension had notched up over the past… he glanced at the clock. _Had it really been less than half an hour? _ He pinched the bridge of his nose, holding the pressure there for a moment before letting go again. He stood up and rolled his shoulders. "Isabel, didn't you tell me we were due up at the Stevens' place here pretty soon?"

Her startled gaze flew to him but she quickly brought it under control. "Actually, we're already late. We have breakfast to attend to and then we have some things to finish up over at Mr. Tony's house."

He nodded. "If you'll get the planner I'll get our coats." He glanced at the others, not even realizing he was still holding her hand until she slipped it free to go and retrieve the planner. "Let's get a move on, people. I've seen what's on the schedule for the day and if we don't get started on it soon we're likely to be working long into the night and I for one would prefer to be inside before nightfall."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Maggie's legs swung back and forth as she stared at the second hand slowly creeping around the face of the clock. She suddenly sat up straighter when she heard something outside and all of her concentration zeroed in on it. Her gaze shifted to the window and then to the door and she frowned slightly at the silence that followed. She turned her head to look at Daddy's newspaper when she heard the paper rustling as he turned the page and her eyes widened momentarily at the snapping sound it made when he straightened it out. She sighed and turned in her seat to look at Mama, holding onto the high back of the chair as she leaned sideways in an attempt to see what she was doing. She dropped her gaze to Cindy. The little polar bear was sitting next to her on the table, a clean bowl, spoon, and glass in front of her.

"Mama, what time is it?"

"Thirty seconds later than the last time you asked," Edward said as he licked the pad of his thumb and turned to the next page.

"Maybe they forgot when breakfast is."

That earned a snort from behind the paper.

Julia slid a pan into the oven before turning to look at her daughter. "They're probably just finishing up breakfast, Maggie."

"But they were s'posed to come here for breakfast, Mama. Don't you remember? Yesterday you an' Isabel talked 'bout it."

"Yes, that's true." She picked up a baking pan with melted butter in it and carried it over to the table. "Here, why don't you give me a hand with these magic bars?" she suggested in an attempt to keep the little girl occupied.

"Um-hmm, that'll do it."

She shot a look at her husband that he ducked by lifting the paper higher. She rolled her eyes and leaned over Maggie to help her arrange the ingredients.

"Mama, are they gonna be here soon?" Maggie asked as she tipped her head back.

"Makes you wonder what's takin' so long," Edward muttered. "Must've been a busy night." He had no idea what had gone down between their guests but whatever it was it'd been serious.

The oven timer went off, the annoying buzzing sound interrupting Edward's ramblings and Julia reached out to smack his newspaper as she reached for the potholders.

"Hey," he lowered his paper to glance at her, "what was that for?"

"That was funny, Mama," Maggie giggled. "The pictures of the reindeer on Daddy's newspaper jumped when you did that."

"Mmmm, smells good in here," Eddie said as he joined them. "Are you makin' magic bars?"

"Yes, I am. I thought we'd have some with something hot this evening when it gets really cold," Julia answered.

Edward flipped the top of his paper forward to peer at his little girl as he spoke to his wife, his tone teasing. "What makes you think they'll be here this evening?" He winked at Maggie, making her giggle. "Magic bars are made to disappear."

Julia pulled the hot pan out of the oven and slid it onto a cooling rack. She gave her boys a look as she pulled a spatula out of the drawer, waving it at them as she threatened, "No touchy until this evening."

_She's got that look in her eyes again._ Her husband just grinned and went back to reading his paper. He remembered one time he and the boys had snuck up on her and tried to steal a few of the magic bars before they had been deemed ready. That had earned all three of them a swift smack on the rear end, leaving her to bend the spatula back into shape afterwards.

"Look, Daddy, Mama has her pancake flipper out. 'Member when you an' Brian tried to get some last year before Mama said they were ready?" She laughed at that and went back to working on the next batch of magic bars.

"Mom, did you make some without the nuts?" Eddie asked.

"Of course."

Eddie looked around for the kitchen before scratching his head. "Um, where's Brian?" His older brother was always around, especially when Mom was making anything edible.

"He got up early this mornin'," Edward answered as he folded his paper and stretched his arms over his head. "Went over to the barn with Stefanie and Travis to handle reindeer chores." He got up and crossed the room to wrap his arms around his wife and nuzzle her neck. He chuckled when he saw Eddie's longing look at the cooling magic bars. "Looks like your brother had somethin' better than comin' up with the best way to snatch an early dessert." He lowered his head to Julia's shoulder as he whispered, "Girls have a way of distracting us boys." He shot a sideways glance at his youngest boy, knowing full well that as helpful as he was around his mother he had his own agenda that involved a certain guest.

"Go on, Edward, I know what you want and it's not happening," Julia said with a smile. "Now shoo, it's time to cut the cooled bars."

And opportunity began to knock. Eddie's ears perked up and he sidled up to the counter. "Mom, you want me to make another pot of coffee? Maybe put some water on to heat for when the others get here?"

She smiled at him. "Why thank you, Eddie. Yes, please do that."

Edward snorted and excused himself to get into his thermals so he would be ready when the others showed up.

Julia finished cutting the cooled bars and gave Eddie and Maggie a couple that had been broken _accidentally_. They were working on layering the next batch when the sound of stomping boots and the door opening interrupted them. Her little girl was out of her chair like a shot, running over to stand before Michael. She smiled as she listened to Maggie going on about how she was helping her make magic bars.

Edward came back into the room just as Maggie started rattling off how magic bars were their favorite Christmas dessert. He listened to her absentmindedly as he assessed the state of their visitors.

"Yep, Mama only makes them at Christmas." Maggie ran to the table to snatch up one of her broken pieces and hurried back to Michael. "Here, you can try it. You're gonna love it and then you'll wanna steal some too, but you can't. The boys always try to steal some before Mama says it's okay to eat them but she's got the pancake flipper to shoo them away," she said with a laugh.

The group was somber; their demeanors ranged from withdrawn to haggard. Isabel came in first, planner in hand and wearing a smile that appeared forced. The small brunette had his attention the moment she came through the door though. He watched her young husband as he spoke in low tones and helped her out of her outerwear. Dark circles underlined her eyes and her distant, distracted behavior reminded him of someone who was grieving. Maria stayed close as she hung up her coat. _She was watching over her friend,_ he realized.

"Doesn't it smell wonderful in here?" she commented, her hand brushing her friend's arm. "It's so warm and smells so… mmm, so good!"

Kyle came inside last and started to hang up his and Isabel's outerwear and he unknowingly nodded in agreement with Maria. "Wow, something smells great!"

Edward's gaze was drawn to Michael as it always was. It was Michael who acted as his gauge for determining the condition of the group. There was something different about him. There was normally an air of protectiveness about him, a guarded awareness, but this was different. He appeared weighed down, burdened by something. The younger man was struggling to focus on Maggie and he could tell he was having a difficult time following her childish ramblings this morning.

Julia followed her husband's gaze to their guests and she knew he wanted to comment on their later than normal arrival. It didn't take more than a glance to know that something wasn't right with them and she knew if she didn't intervene on their behalf he would begin questioning them. "Have you had a chance to eat breakfast this morning?"

"We kinda slept in this mornin'," Michael said with a shrug.

Eddie looked at them as he got a mug down and filled it with coffee. He snorted under his breath. No one was gonna buy that one, he thought with a roll of his eyes. None of them looked like they'd slept in about a week. He carried cups over to the table and set them down, giving Maria a bright smile as he placed a mug in front of her. "I made it just like you like it." He looked at Liz and Isabel as he motioned to the sugar and cream sitting out on the table. "You guys can have some too if you want."

"Michael, you an' Maria come watch me an' Mama make magic bars," Maggie said excitedly. "Do you like nuts in yours, Michael?" She shook her head as she latched onto his hand and led him over to the table. "Oh! Do you know if Santa likes them too?"

Michael felt like he'd been run over by a very large truck… possibly more than once. He was drained mentally and exhausted physically and his brain was fighting a losing battle as it tried to keep up with the little girl's questions.

"Maggie, maybe you and Cindy should ask if they'd like some breakfast," Julia suggested as she waved them into chairs around the table.

Her eyes widened in anticipation. "Oh, can I? Oops, I mean, may I?" As soon as Mama nodded she looked up at Michael again. "Cindy saved a bowl for you."

Eddie scrambled to get a bowl that he filled with Frosted Flakes and milk. He carried it over to the table and set it down in front of Maria. "These are for you," he said and handed her a spoon. "They're the frosted kind, not the gross ones you have to put your own sugar on."

Michael turned his head to scowl at the boy and he was just opening his mouth to tell him that Maria couldn't stand frosted flakes when she kicked him under the table.

The thought of cold cereal caused Isabel's stomach to give a warning roll. "Maybe I'll just have toast and coffee." She reached over to stop Kyle when he started to get up, knowing he was on his way to do it for her. "I've got it. My toast always comes out perfect."

"I don't doubt it," he said with a slight smile. He listened as she asked Julia if she had any cinnamon, thinking to himself that it was doubtful there was any baking ingredient the woman didn't have in her kitchen.

Julia's gaze moved over their guests, feeling for them when she saw their worn, exhausted features. Liz looked like she was suffering from some sort of loss and her husband looked worried, concerned as he hovered close by. Maria appeared to be emotionally drained and her boyfriend, who was doing his best to interact with Maggie, looked physically exhausted. Kyle's features were pinched and every once in a while he would rub his temples or pinch the bridge of his nose, a clear indicator that the stubborn headache he'd been fighting was hanging on. Out of all of them Isabel looked the most ready to face the day but closer inspection showed an edge of pain shadowing her eyes but she hid it better than the others.

She watched them for a few minutes before suggesting a warm breakfast. She held her hands up and smiled when they automatically declined, insisting that a heavy meal wasn't necessary. She easily translated that to mean that they weren't ready to face a big breakfast because whatever was going on with them had left them with little to no appetite. She gave in gracefully, turning them loose in her kitchen to put their breakfasts together. It was going to get viciously cold as the day passed but getting something in their stomachs was better than nothing.

While Isabel was busy at the toaster Julia went to collect a couple of Tylenol that she placed next to Kyle before moving on to finish the next batch of magic bars. She took the long way around, placing a warning hand on Edward's shoulder when she saw him gearing up for a round of questioning.

Max got up, his hand lingering on his wife's shoulder for a moment before he asked Julia if she had any oatmeal. He moved to the cabinet she directed him to and he started the simple process of fixing a bowl of instant oatmeal.

Eddie made a face. "You get a choice of cereal and you choose oatmeal?" He moved to the pantry and pulled the door open. "Here, we've got more cold cereal." He took a step back out of the way when Max joined him while he was waiting for the water to heat up in the microwave and he rolled his eyes when the guy's gaze bounced between a box of bran flakes and some other cereal that his parents ate. "You're gonna eat that?" he asked in disbelief when Max grabbed the box of bran flakes.

Kyle stared at the box of bran flakes in Max's hand. Half a dozen different kinds of cereal lined one of the pantry shelves and El Presidente chose bran flakes? Somewhere deep inside, the comedian in him that desperately wanted to come back out to play latched onto the moment. It was really too good to pass up but the words just wouldn't come. He looked up when Isabel sat down beside him, sliding a small plate in front of him with two slices of golden toast generously slathered with butter and topped with a cinnamon/sugar mix. The cinnamon was darker where it was settling into the melted butter and his mouth watered at the sight and smell.

"Bran Flakes or Shredded Wheat," she mused quietly so her voice wouldn't carry past him. "Is it really that much of a choice?"

"Well, I suppose he made the appropriate choice. Help restore the balance so to speak." He snorted when he saw her answering smile just before she bit into a slice of toast.

They ate in companionable silence, watching Maggie as she brought a bowl of cocoa puffs over to the table and placed it before Michael. She motioned for him to wait and she ran back to the refrigerator, pulling out the milk that was only half-full and carrying it over to the table. Michael took the jug and poured milk over the cereal before capping it and handing it back to her.

She looked up at him with a big smile as she cradled the jug to her chest. "You like Cocoa Puffs don't you?"

He controlled his revulsion at the thought of the too-sweet chocolaty cereal and gave her a smile. "Can't think of anything I'd like more this mornin'." _Maybe to have someone run over his foot._

"You can start eating while I make you toast." She looked at Maria before her gaze dropped to the bowl of soggy cereal on the table, practically untouched. She wrinkled her nose and chewed on her bottom lip for a moment as she turned her head to study Michael's cereal bowl. After giving it thoughtful contemplation she looked at Maria again. "Eddie loves Frosted Flakes," she commented. I like Tony the Tiger but his cereal gets all yucky in milk." She turned back and forth on the balls of her feet. "Do you want some Cocoa Puffs too?"

Michael leaned over, one elbow resting on his thigh. "Maria would really like the Honey Nut Cheerios," he confided. After the morning they'd had all the chocolate would turn her stomach upside down and there was no reason for both of them to suffer.

"Really?" She shifted to one side to look around him at Maria. "You like them old Cheerios better than the Cocoa Puffs?"

Maria nodded, rubbing Michael's thigh in gratitude. All that chocolate first thing would only send her stomach into upheaval.

Maggie made a face and slid the milk jug on the table while she went to retrieve the bowl of Cheerios.

Julia slipped up behind them, leaning past Maria to scoop up the bowl of soggy cereal. "I'll get rid of this for you," she said with a wink and an understanding pat on the shoulder. Eddie was momentarily occupied and there was no point letting him know that his crush couldn't stomach his offering.

Maria nodded in thanks and looked up when Max came over to the table with two bowls in his hands. He placed the oatmeal topped with bananas and sprinkled with cinnamon in front of Liz and he rubbed her arm as he sat down. He shifted his chair closer to hers and his hand moved down her arm, searching hers out and linking their fingers on the table between them.

Edward's gaze followed his little girl as she buzzed around the kitchen and he smiled slightly. She was a miniature version of his Julia. She fussed over anyone who would sit still long enough to let her, filling their stomachs, and comforting and soothing them just by being who she was. She came back with Maria's breakfast choice and waited patiently while Michael poured the milk before taking it from him and scurrying back to the refrigerator to put it away. He winced as Michael took a bite of the Cocoa Puffs drenched in milk that would now be a thick chocolaty-sweet liquid. His teeth hurt just thinking of how sweet it would be.

Before long Maggie was back, squeezing between the couple to slide a plate of toast smeared with butter and jam. She looked up at Michael, tipping her head sideways as she watched him eating. "Is your breakfast good?"

He nodded without answering.

"Cindy said you'd like it," she said with a smile.

"Well, she's a smart polar bear," he said, returning her smile.

"Michael, can I ask you a question?"

He nodded at the empty chair next to him. "C'mon over here and ask." It wasn't much, but with her standing between them he felt like Maria was too far away.

She clambered up on the chair and rested her forearm on his shoulder as she watched him taste the toast. A grin erupted on her face when he hummed happily and took another big bite before looking at her. "Do you think Santa might need some help while he's here?"

"Help?" he echoed as he polished off the first slice of toast.

"Yeah, you know, like if he needs somethin'?"

The others watched as he slowly chewed on a mouthful of toast, his expression considering. It was the first time he had shown any sign of relaxing in quite a while.

"Well," he said finally, "maybe." He brushed crumbs off of his shirt before giving her his full attention. "Now, you'd have to check with Isabel to be sure, but I heard that Santa might be lookin' for an elf helper." He nodded. "She kinda handles all of Santa's plans an' stuff."

The little girl's hopeful gaze swung to Isabel. "Does he, Isabel?"

Isabel smiled at Kyle when he reached for the ever-present planner and handed it to her. She flipped it open and turned the pages under the pretense of searching for the information. "Will you look at that?"

"What?" Maggie asked excitedly. "What's it say?"

She placed the planner on the table between her and Kyle. "Look at that."

Kyle shifted closer, angling his head to look at the doodles he had drawn the other day when she and Dayna had been hitting him from both sides with ideas. "Huh, looks like Santa's in the market for an elf helper. Looks like you're just the helper the big guy's been lookin' for."

"Michael, didja hear that?" she asked with an excited shout and threw her arms around his neck to hug him. "I get to be Santa's helper!" Her eyes widened. "Oooh, do I get to wear an elf costume?"

Edward chuckled and shook his head. It was time to get things moving because Maggie was just warming up to the subject. "Eddie, are you about ready, boy?"

Eddie looked up at his dad. "Ready?" he mumbled.

"Ready, yes, to head over to Mr. Tony's and knock the work out before we get the worst of that cold front that's movin' through." He nodded when the boy started to protest. "Good, go get yourself ready."

Michael glanced at the man of the house. "Guess that's out cue to get movin'." He glanced at Max and then at Kyle, nodding when his friend shook his head. "Max, if you'd rather hang back with the girls while they're doin' whatever it is they're plannin' to do today…" He trailed off when Liz shook her head. "No?"

She looked at her husband. "Max, you should go with Michael."

"Liz," he shook his head, obviously reluctant to leave her.

"It's fine." She looked at Michael. "Max will be more of a help to you. Kyle's got a splitting headache and he shouldn't be out in that biting cold all day." And she didn't want Max to spend all afternoon blaming himself for what had happened. He needed a break even if he didn't know it. "You guys probably won't be out there more than a few hours. Kyle can keep us company while we're doing laundry."

Michael snorted at that. He knew what would happen. Kyle would spend the day being pampered and babied by all three girls. Yeah, there was a tough job. He looked back at Max. "Your call."

Max shook his head. "Liz, I really think I should stay with you."

She shifted in her chair to look at him fully. "Max, I'm okay, and you guys will get this done faster if you're helping. We don't want Kyle to be out there and have his condition worsen."

He bit his lip, not certain he could leave her alone. He lifted his gaze to settle on Kyle as he debated what he should do.

"Don't worry, Max," Kyle said quietly. "I'll take care of her."

One corner of his mouth lifted in the slightest of smiles as he recalled the last time he had heard those words and he checked with Liz again before finally nodding. It was time to start putting the past in the past and to begin moving forward.


	48. Chapter 48

**Part 48**

Kyle trudged through the snow, squinting to avoid the worst of the snow being blown in his face as the wind kicked up from time to time. His thoughts were centered on the girls and what he was feeling about everything that had happened in the past 24 hours. It was easy to picture Isabel as she had gone off about Tess being solely responsible for Alex's death. Listening to Liz recounting what had happened, going over it, and finally realizing that had she never pushed Max at Tess they might never have lost Alex had pushed her to snap at everyone. Emotionally he didn't think she had ever really let go of him, hadn't really allowed herself to move on. If she had he was pretty sure she wouldn't be conversing with his ghost.

He tripped over a snow-covered log and cursed under his breath when he nearly plowed into the snow face-first. The sacks of laundry he was carrying flipped over his shoulder and provided him with a soft landing. He scrambled up and glanced around, brushing the snow from his clothes and clearing his throat as he hefted the bags up again. His mind went back to the girls, going to Maria this time. It had been pretty obvious that she'd had a rough night with Michael. _Which made sense,_ he mused. El Capitan had been pissed when he discovered she had known about that whole Future Max situation and she hadn't told him about it. The two of them seemed pretty solid, but something was still off about them. Well, they'd had their ups and downs over the past couple of years and with everything that was coming out they probably had their own issues that were coming to the surface.

It was an easy transition for his thoughts to shift to Liz. She had insisted that she was alright but there was no doubt her assurances were for her husband's benefit. She was devastated by the thought that the sacrifice she had made had been for nothing. That in the end they had all paid a price they hadn't been ready for and that loss had been the result of a lie.

_And what about you?_ The thumping at the back of his skull started up in response to his thoughts and he tried to shake it off as he hefted his load higher on his shoulder. He hated the feelings that had rushed over him as he struggled to remember another time when he had probably been mind warped. Tess and his feelings regarding her were all a tangled mess that still had the ability to knot his stomach. Unwanted sensations threatened to suffocate him and he ruthlessly pushed those emotions back down. It was sort of like sticking your hand into a tackle box full of fish hooks. The more he allowed himself to think about her the more he bled.

His thoughts went back to Isabel. She had lost every guy she had ever cared for. She had lost Jesse, but that was a pain that would heal in time. He would become a pleasant memory, one probably wrapped up with a few regrets. Regret for involving him, regret for turning his life upside down, and regret for the pain he had suffered. Most of all she had lost Alex. What had happened to him was unthinkable.

He sighed as the Honeymoon cabin finally came into view. He was done going back over all of this. Like Michael had said, it served no purpose. Isabel's voice rose in his head.

"_She took too much from us and I'm not gonna let her take another minute of my time."_

He could remember the feel of her hand in his as he had tried to calm her with a touch. There were so many losses she had faced and he knew the past 24 hours was really bringing the memories to the surface. She also had to contend with the loss of her parents, and until they could manage to find a way to bridge the necessary gap between them she would hurt over that loss. There hadn't been time for her parents to become accustomed to who she was once they knew the truth, time to say goodbye, or time to make sure they would be safe.

He inhaled deeply in an effort to redirect his thoughts. He had his own mission here. He had three girls who were in serious need of a mood lift. He snorted to himself. "Buddha, Kyle needs a hand. We all need a break from the doom and gloom," he muttered. He reached the door to the cabin just as the wind gusted, strong enough to give him and the laundry a good shove. He turned the knob and pushed the door open, thankful that the girls had left it unlocked for him. _That would give Michael fits, but it could be their little secret,_ he thought with a mental grin.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The naked frame of the lean-to stood strong against the gusting wind and whorls of snow whipped up and danced around it. The snow underfoot had a crisp layer that crunched underfoot with every step, providing an accompanying backdrop of sound as they walked up the driveway to Mr. Tony's house. The air was cold, but the wind had a sharp bite to it that seemed to cut through the many layers of clothing the silent duo wore.

Michael was freezing in spite of thermals, one of Edward's old hunting sweatshirts, and all the heavy winter gear he was wearing on top of that. He adjusted his hood and scarf in an attempt to block out the wind that was increasing in both frequency and intensity. He was certain the stupid scarf was gathering the moisture from every breath he took and the bitter wind was causing it to freeze. _Yeah, and why didn't we just go to Mexico?_ Right now that was looking like a much better locale for being on the run. _Well, as far as the weather went,_ he decided.

He glanced over at Max. The fact that he seemed to be unaffected by the cold spoke to his state of mind. He was dressed much the same only he wasn't wearing a hood or the scarf with the patch of ice over his mouth. He reached up to tug on the scarf at that thought, wondering if it would stick to his face. Max had been given a knitted hat that sort of reminded him of those stupid sock monkeys he'd seen in some of the roadside stores they'd stopped in from time to time. If it weren't for the fact that the last 24 hours had just about beat the crap out of all of them he probably would've laughed.

Another glance at Max and he saw the dark circles under his eyes. Set against his skin that was pale and stretched taut over his cheekbones gave them a sunken, hollow look. Max's misery was palpable and he knew how hard it had been for his friend to leave Liz. Leaving her side had been even harder than leaving her in Kyle's care. He knew what it had taken for him to grant her request and somehow, in some way he wasn't sure he understood at the moment, it was her way of taking care of Max.

Max's melancholic mood only served to intensify the feelings he had being separated from Maria right now. She had held it together as she consoled Liz and he knew she was suffering as that old wound was torn open again. It hadn't been long enough for it to scar, to build up a resistance to the pain the reminders could bring. Some memories were good but even those could and would flush the loss right back to the surface.

She put on a brave front and she tried to hide it from him but he knew it was there. He could feel it deep inside and he ached to take her in his arms and hold her. Alex's death had been hard on all of them and the events right after had made it doubly difficult. He knew Liz's actions had been warranted and if she hadn't pushed ahead with her investigation and risked everything for it there was a good chance they wouldn't be alive right now. Having to face the questions that had arisen from Liz's revelation the night before had not only ripped open old wounds, it had made all of them question themselves, blame themselves, as they tried to figure out what they could have done differently. What they could have done to prevent something that might or might not have happened.

Did it even matter now? Whether Future Max was the result of a mindwarp or if he really existed and he had paid her a visit, it didn't make a difference. What was done was done. They couldn't do anything to change the past and he couldn't see how it mattered to their future one way or the other. He glanced up, his eyes stinging when the wind whipped crystallized snow into his face.

Up ahead the barn door creaked as Edward emerged with his boys. Brian looked less than pleased at having his 'work' with Stefanie interrupted. The teenager's body language spoke volumes and he snorted under his breath. They had to be careful around Edward. And Julia too, he reminded himself. The woman didn't pry and she didn't act suspicious of them but he knew she was far from being blind or stupid. She just wasn't as overt as her husband when it came to trying to figure out why they were there. There was no way she had bought their cover story anymore than Edward had.

He gave his thoughts a nudge, pushing them back into the corner of his mind to be dealt with later. They were supposed to finish constructing the lean-to and there were a few other chores on the list to complete before temperature dropped below zero with a little help from the arctic wind Edward had said they were expecting later in the afternoon. He had no intention of being outdoors with temperatures like that. He already hated this weather and it was supposed to get worse? No way was he going to be outside for that.

He sighed as they reached the framed structure and he stared balefully at the supplies Edward had already dropped off. Hammer, bag of nails, and a lot of wood. He leaned over to pick up the bag of nails and then wrapped one gloved hand around the wooden handle of the hammer. He shook the bag in front of Max's face, the sound of the nails knocking against each other just noisy enough to disrupt his friend's thoughts.

"What?"

"You look like hell, Maxwell." He motioned to the frame with his hammer. "Let's get this knocked out so we can get indoors before body parts start freezin' and fallin' off out here."

Max took the bag of nails and stared into the depths of the little bag for several long seconds before dumping a bunch of them in his left hand. He watched Michael as he grabbed one of the boards and placed it against the frame. He had no idea if it was in the right place or not but he couldn't really say he cared. He held his hand out when Michael turned to him and he shrugged when the other guy stared at the pile of nails for a while before holding up his gloved hand.

"Just one at a time," Michael growled. He shook his head when Max used his other gloved hand to push the nails around in an effort to separate one from the bunch. "Two words," he muttered under his breath. "Nail gun."

"What's that?" Max yelled when the wind picked up again. His lips lifted at the corners, a ghost of a smile when Michael did his best to flip him off in spite of the thick work gloves he was wearing. He looked around to make sure there was no way the others could see what he was doing and once he was certain they couldn't be seen he pinned his right hand under his other arm and pulled his hand free of the glove. He quickly grabbed the nails, pressing them into the wood where Michael pointed out and giving them just enough of a nudge to get them seated so he wouldn't have to hold them while hammering.

Michael nodded in thanks and motioned for Max to hold up one end of the board while he set about driving the nails through the boards and into the frame.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Kyle hauled the last of the laundry in and then used the bottom of his boot to push the door shut. He slumped back against it and exhaled loudly. "Ladies, I've gotta tell you… hauling dirty laundry in from the other cabins isn't exactly what I had anticipated doing when I got out of working with the guys."

"You're not out in that cold wind, are you?" Maria asked as she looked up from sorting clothes into two piles.

He snorted. "Well, not now. But for the past 45 minutes I've been hauling dirty clothes across the frozen tundra so I'm not sure that hanging out with the three of you qualifies as restful."

She made a face at him. "Does your head still hurt?"

"No, but I really don't think that's the point." _It was mostly true,_ he mused. The headache was still there but it had dulled and disappeared into the background.

The sound of a buzzer going off drew his gaze away from them and before he could comment Maria was up like a shot. He dropped the pillowcase full of laundry on the floor and started pulling his gear off to hang it up. He was working his boots off when he overheard his name and then muffled laughter. _That was worth investigating,_ he decided and grabbed the overstuffed pillowcase, hooking it over his shoulder as he went in search of the girls.

"Here comes Santa Claus, here comes Santa Claus, right down honeymoon lane," he sang under his breath. He shook his head and chuckled to himself as he padded through the cabin and into the bathroom. He paused in the doorway and his mouth nearly dropped open as he looked around the spacious interior. A bathtub with a separate shower, a large hot water tank, and lo and behold, what to his wandering eye should appear? Yes, Kyle, that is indeed a stackable washer and dryer.

He glanced at Liz, watching her for a moment as she pulled jeans out of the dryer, shaking them out and hanging them over the dryer door. He could see that her mind was still otherwise occupied as she finished emptying out the machine.

"Oh, my turn!" Maria squeezed past him to take over the washer that was now available.

He watched her toss clothes in the washer, sorted by color. That would be enough to make Isabel cringe, he decided. He knew her well enough to know she would be sorting by fabric, color, temperature, and load size. It was no wonder no one enjoyed spending laundry time with her. The room felt small in spite of its size and he knew that could be attributed to the tension that was still hanging over them as a group. "Hey, if you guys need any help unmentionables, I'm your guy," offered just as Maria reached for the knob on the washer to start the cycle.

She shot a droll stare over her shoulder. "If you're that excited about getting your hands on someone's underwear I'm sure Michael's boxers – "

"No! Do not go any farther with that statement!" He shuddered comically and turned to head back to the living room.

"Kyle."

He turned when Liz spoke up, his name coming out on a heavy sigh. She was barely looking at him but he recognized the expression on her face. Her mouth was tight, her features set, and dark circles underlined eyes that told him whatever she had on her mind was serious. He wanted to put his hand on her shoulder, offer a bit of comfort, but changed his mind. After what had happened the night before he decided maybe distance was the better option.

"This's serious," she said, her tone somber.

He rubbed his open palm over his jean-clad thigh and then shoved it in his pocket as he leveled his voice to quietly agree with her. "Yeah, I know how serious it is, but if I don't lighten the mood I'm gonna lose it."

"C'mon, you guys," Maria said as she moved closer to them.

"I keep going over it." Liz started to pace in the confined space. "What Future Max said to me and the time he spent with me. I keep trying to make sense out of what he said. At the time I remember thinking I should tell Max regardless of what his future self said but… but he _was_ Max and he said…" she sighed and shook her head.

Maria intercepted her friend, stopping the restless pacing and pulling her into her arms. She was in the process of putting a response together but before she could speak Kyle stepped forward.

"Look, Liz, you've gotta give yourself some slack here. You were confronted with an impossible situation that was…" he searched for an appropriate word, "the mother of all situations. And let's not forget you were 17 years old. I think it's too damn easy for all of us to lose sight of the fact that we're still teenagers dealing with things that'd send seasoned adults into a rabbit hole of madness. Just be good to yourself, would you? Not a single one of us can say with any certainty how we would've reacted in a similar situation."

She drew in a shaky breath as she thought about never seeing Alex again and her eyes darted to her friends. She could see the weariness in them. Keeping the secret about Future Max at his insistence had cost all of them. Michael was right. They couldn't keep secrets from each other anymore. It wasn't just killing them as a group; it was taking them apart at the seams as couples.

Isabel paused in the doorway with her laundry and her arrival pulled Liz out of her thoughts. She took the moment that she so desperately needed for her logical mind to reboot so she could deal with the issues at hand. She breathed in deeply, inhaling the warm damp air and holding it for a moment before exhaling slowly.

The tall blonde watched the three of them standing there, Maria holding onto Liz and Kyle standing close by. It was like a déjà vu moment for her. Only in her mind she was seeing the girls standing with Alex. _What was it they had called themselves?_

"The three musketeers," a familiar voice murmured from beside her.

Even as Alex spoke her gaze was pulled to Kyle. Without realizing it her thoughts settled on him and the way she was drawn to his comforting presence. Kyle and his steady advice, his quiet loyalty, his low soothing voice that could deliver words to calm her and their friends or turn around and crack a joke that could diffuse tense situations. She placed the neatly regimented piles of dirty laundry next to the washer and shot a quick glance at the others before turning to leave the room.

Kyle glanced up and caught her retreat, quickly taking a couple of steps that put him between her and the other two girls. She paused as he leaned back against the dryer, his hands curling around the machine and feeling its warmth soak into his palms. He hung his head to stare at the marble pattern on the tiled floor as if lost in thought while Liz spoke about Future Max. From the corner of his eye he caught Isabel beginning to move again and his left hand slipped off of the dryer to catch her hand. "Stay."

Liz nodded slowly, acknowledging Kyle's words as she pulled out of Maria's embrace. She moved closer to Isabel to include her in the conversation. She thought about the secrets she had kept since she had met Max, and the secret she had kept for Future Max that she, in turn, had asked her best friend to keep. She glanced at Kyle, thinking of the secret she had asked him to keep when she had started to change. How poetic that it would be him coming to her, confiding in her, and then asking her to keep his secret that had caused everything to blow up in their faces the night before. She thought about her dad and remembered something he used to say to her.

"_Nothing weighs on us so heavily as a secret."_

Maria nodded wearily. _And wasn't that the truth?_

Kyle glanced around at the girls as his own thoughts followed the pattern being established by them. Secrets. They were necessary to their survival but they had to break out of the pattern of using them amongst themselves. The atmosphere in the room was heavy with tension, with leftover pain from the damage of those same secrets. It was well past the point where they needed to leave that habit in the past. He quietly cleared his throat and wondered if he was brave enough to share his experience with them. Discussing it one-on-one with someone who had already experienced something similar was one thing. Opening up to the others was a different story altogether.

"Liz, maybe we should go over it from the beginning," Maria suggested.

Isabel listened to them as they tossed information from the secret visit back and forth, debating the points. She shifted to stand next to Kyle, leaning back against the dryer and unconsciously leaning against him. As far as she was concerned the visit from some future version of her brother had never happened. It didn't make sense to her way of thinking. There were too many things that just didn't fit into the way her brother operated. She was mentally ticking them off when her ears caught Liz's next statement and she nearly unleashed an indelicate snort of derision.

"Max did what?" she asked, certain Liz meant so say something else.

"He serenaded me."

"My brother? Max Evans. No." She shook her head. "Unlike most guys his age he does have that romantic bone in his body but a mariachi band? There's a thin line between romantic and foolish and I've never seen him cross that line. Not to mention I've heard him sing."

"I was there, Isabel, and I'm telling you he sang."

"In Spanish," Maria added. "You said he sang in Spanish."

"He spent a week learning the lyrics from Mr. Delgado over at the hardware store." She shrugged her shoulders. "I'll admit I didn't think he'd do anything that cheesy but… I saw him do it. I mean, we're talking the full deal with the sombrero and everything. Future Max said he was desperate and had to do something to get my attention."

Isabel shook her head and stifled a giggle at the absurdity of the mental picture. "I'm sorry but we're talking about Max. Wouldn't it make more sense for him to get you alone somewhere and use his powers to lock you in until you listened to him? I can get behind him sending flowers, calling KROZ to dedicate some disgustingly romantic song to you, or making some romantic gesture that would make any other 17-year-old guy cringe, but singing with a mariachi band? That's really too much. Max was too uptight to get up onstage for karaoke night at the Pizza Pan back home but you really think he learned a song in Spanish, hooked up with a mariachi band, and serenaded you outside your home?"

Liz made a face. "Well, when you put it like that it does make it seem even more implausible."

"Well, the roses definitely sound like Max," Kyle said.

"Yeah," Isabel said with a shake of her head, "until we get to the part where he changes the color midair. Desperate or not, would he really take that risk with the mariachi band right there to witness it?"

"I'm so exhausted." Liz rubbed her face with both hands. "You're right, it really doesn't make sense."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Michael dropped the last of the wood on the porch next to the door at Kyle and Isabel's cabin. The temperatures were continuing to drop and when he and Max had finished working on the lean-to they had decided to stock firewood at the cabins before heading inside. At first they were going to leave Kyle to collect his own wood but after considering that he'd been trapped in a small space with three women for the past few hours they had decided to give him a break.

Max leaned over to stack the wood when several of the split logs rolled to scatter across the porch. "You think I came back from 14 years in the future?"

"To tell Liz she had to make you fall outta love with her?" Michael snorted. "No. If you did that's an awful lot of ego." He leaned back against the rough-hewn column that supported the tiny cover for the porch and his gaze raked over his friend. "Considerably more than you currently have."

"So you don't buy me coming back and asking Liz to do that," he mused aloud.

"Maxwell, you're many things and I don't like all of them. But I don't see you putting her in a position that'd cause her so much pain. It's not who you are."

"And if it was to save the world?"

Michael pushed away from the column and moved to stand right in front of Max. They were nearly nose to nose as they stared at each other. "14 years from now the world has gone all to hell, you've watched your friends and your sister die one by one, and you've been given the opportunity to go back and change the course of history, prevent all of that from happening. Tell me, Max, do you go to the one person you live and breathe for and ask her to not only do the impossible, but then burden her with keeping that secret and breaking her heart?"

Max shook his head. "No, I couldn't do that."

"No, you couldn't." He rolled his shoulders and took a step back. "When Tess first showed up she bothered you and not in a good way. You told me that first time when you kissed her it felt like something was controlling you and something was. She was. We know that now. You knew she wasn't right. She made you uncomfortable. When you're attracted to someone naturally you don't feel like that." He shrugged. "Besides that, if Tess was so damn important to the survival of Earth why wouldn't he just ask her to find a way to make peace with Tess? At that point she seemed to be kinda getting into Kyle. I didn't hear anything last night that made it sound like that whole destiny thing is what made the difference in Earth's survival. If that was the case why wouldn't he have insisted on pushing me and Isabel together too?"

Max winced when the wind blew snow down off of the roof and into his eyes. "That's a good point."

"What about that whole thing with her and Kyle in bed together? Where the hell did she get that idea?" His eyes narrowed when Max shuffled to the side and peered around the side of the cabin. "Max?"

"Michael, what's it matter?"

"Don't avoid the question. Last night it didn't sound like that was your idea, so how'd she come up with it?"

"From Maria, okay?"

"Maria?" He frowned at that. "Why the hell would Maria suggest somethin' so stupid?"

"She didn't suggest it. When Liz was talking to her about something… I don't even think it was related to this mess, but they were talking and Maria was upset. Liz said Maria was talking about finding you and Courtney together and when she saw just how devastated Maria was she thought it'd be the one thing that'd push me over the edge."

And again part of his past with Maria that hadn't been dealt with rose up to rear its ugly head. He thought about seeing her with Billy at her house and easily remembered the anger, hurt, and betrayal that had burst to life inside of him. He could understand how successful something like that would be in inflicting maximum damage. It had certainly worked on him with Billy and Maria and on her with him and Courtney. He could only imagine what it would've done to him if he'd caught her in bed with that loser, the bedcovers arranged to make it appear as if they were naked beneath them.

_He would've lost it,_ he admitted to himself. He didn't want to think about that. "Let's get back over to your place."

Max nodded. "We need to grab the rest of the wood. I don't wanna have to make another trip out for it tonight."

They set out to collect the last load of wood so the Honeymoon cabin would be well stocked for the night. They were silent, lost in their own thoughts and paying no attention to the wind that was slowly picking up strength.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Maria watched her best friend as she mulled over Isabel's points, her expression troubled. "There are definitely some parts of the story that seem to be questionable."

Liz rubbed her temples. "Like what?"

"Other than the mention of us joining you when you got married he never said anything about the rest of us. Me, Kyle, Alex… where were we?"

"Well, it'd make sense that I didn't get an honorable mention," Kyle said with a brief smile. "I may have been part of the club at that time but I wasn't exactly a welcome addition." He squeezed Isabel's hand when he felt her tense. "Not your fault, not my fault, just the reality of the situation at the time."

Isabel relaxed. The words were meant for her even though he was directing them at everyone in the room.

"I don't know," Liz said with a shake of her head. "He only mentioned Isabel and Michael and they were… already gone."

"I've spent a lot of time with the girlfriend and he knows how much we mean to each other," Maria spoke up. "So why wouldn't his future self mention the rest of us?"

She pushed down the dark thoughts as she considered that maybe they were already dead in that timeline.

Kyle noted the dark look on her face and had his suspicions where her thoughts were. "I've got a better question for you. Where were you, Liz? Did he ever tell you that?" He shifted and his thumb started to rub over Isabel's knuckles.

Maria chewed on her bottom lip at Kyle's question. Why hadn't she seen that one? "Well, none of us got a visit from a future you so that means either he left you behind or…"

Isabel denied that outright. "No, you couldn't have been dead. I know that for a fact. My brother wouldn't… no, he _couldn't_ function if something had happened to you and us."

Before anyone could respond to her adamant statement they heard the front door open followed by the sound of stomping boots. Liz swallowed hard as the interruption successfully derailed her thoughts that were heading towards a possibility that she didn't really want to contemplate. What if her future self had sent Max back and she had been left there to die alone? "I don't know. Maybe I'm the one who sent him to save the world. Maybe it was me who pushed him to come back on the brink of the end of that last battle."

Maria shook her head as the sound of logs dropping to the hearth punctuated her thoughts. "No way. Even if that was true…"

"There's no way he'd leave you behind," Kyle finished. "Why would he leave you there? So you could die alone? Huh-uh, I'm with Maria on this one. If the guy's Max no way he leaves you there like that."

Movement in the doorway drew their attention and Max paused to give Kyle a nod before locking eyes with his wife. "That'd never happen, Liz."

Liz looked at him. He stood there, the man she loved, his stance rigid and proud. The alien side was featured prominently and she could see the demanding, self-determining man he had been on Antar. His demeanor spoke of authority and made it known that his word would go without challenge. His word was law and it was final.

"Liz, it's one more piece of that story that doesn't fit. It would never happen. I would never leave you to die alone. Never." The words were intense, his piercing eyes never leaving hers.

Michael stood at Max's shoulder, his own eyes on Maria. He shot a glance at his best friend. "Hell, I've known that since the day you healed her in the café."

Liz shook her head. "Maybe I had to stay behind to operate the granolith. Don't you have to have a key or something to make it work?"

Max moved forward, into her space. "Liz, look at me. Even if that were the case, I wouldn't leave you."

"Maybe I convinced you we could change the past to restore our lives."

He was beginning to get frustrated. "Not without you coming with me," he ground out.

"What if only one of us could go back? We don't know how the granolith works when used for time travel."

He clenched his hands into fists at his sides. His chin dropped, his head tipped forward as his defiant eyes locked on hers. "I said no. NO, do you hear me?"

Kyle moved forward, pausing to pull his hand free of Isabel's when he realized he had been holding hers, and he brought both hands up. "Hey, this doesn't matter. The story that Future Max told you is flawed but he came at you with all this information about his sister and best friend dying, the world ending, and putting all of that weight on your shoulders. Nothing in that conversation he had with you indicated he and Tess needed to be together. He said Tess left when you two got together because of the way HE treated her." He shrugged. "Okay, so why wouldn't he just suggest you do something to help him treat her better?"

"That's another good point," Maria said with a nod. "He didn't say anything about Michael and Isabel being together, right?" She continued when Liz shook her head. "So why would it matter if Max and Tess were a couple?"

"It didn't." Michael moved into the room, shrinking its space further. "The only reason Liz capitulated was because she was guilted into it by Future Max. He put a lot of weight on your shoulders that should've never been put there. He or Tess or whatever was controlling that situation knew exactly which buttons to push."

Max glanced at Michael. "Capitulated?"

He rolled his eyes. "To surrender under specified conditions; come to terms. To give up all resistance… Yes, Maxwell, I know what capitulate means. It's somethin' we'll never do with our enemies. And maybe I don't always agree with what Liz does but I've never seen her just roll over."

Kyle cleared his throat. "It's time to drop this. We're never gonna know the answer. The best we can do is speculate. What's happened has already happened and we can't go back and change it. We're all agreed we need to move forward so let's start right here and right now." He took a deep breath and made eye contact with each of them. "Let's focus on the present. You guys wanna know what happened to me… well, here goes."

They listened as he explained his experience, giving them the short version but including all of the pertinent facts. "Maybe it was wrong of me to ask Liz to keep it to herself and after hearing what all she's been asked to carry on her shoulders I wish I'd thought twice about it. When I saw my dad it freaked me out because I'm almost positive I was somehow there. I just wasn't ready to make a group announcement about it because I know it's gonna be guinea pig time for Kyle."

"You're right about that," Michael said, not bothering to deny it or sugarcoat it. "First things first though. We've got damage control to do with the Stevens after this mornin' and the best way for us to do that is to grab a nap before dinner. The last thing we need is for us to be up there while we're exhausted because that makes us vulnerable to making mistakes."

"I'm good with a nap," Kyle admitted, not bothering to hide a yawn.

"I'll second that." Max draped his right arm over his wife's shoulders and hugged her close to his body.

Michael's gaze made the rounds, checking with the girls and nodding when they all gave their agreement. "Alright, dinner's at six so we'll meet here about five-thirty." He looked directly at Kyle. "And after dinner we'll see what you can do."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Once everyone had gone, leaving them alone in the cabin, Max locked the door and turned to look at his wife. The silence was loud in the aftermath of the departure of their friends and family. His gaze moved over her as she stood there, one hip leaning against the couch and her arms wrapped around her. If not for the couch he was sure she'd just topple over. They'd all had a rough 24 hours but he could see the toll it was taking on her; physically because he knew she'd had very little sleep the night before, and mentally and emotionally because some of the most painful moments in her young life had been brought to the surface and thrown in her face.

He turned the lights out one by one and moved to stand before her. "Hey," he said quietly as he reached up to brush his fingertips over her cheek.

"I'm so tired, Max," she whispered as she leaned into him.

"I know." His arms came around her and for a minute they just stood there, drawing strength from each other.

She rested her ear against his chest, listening to the reassuring beat of his heart. She hated that Tess had ever come between them, that they had ever allowed it. She didn't know where the lies ended and the truth began. Even in the worst deception there was usually some form of truth hidden beneath the layers of lies. What if they couldn't survive without their fourth? What if they had paid such significant costs, suffered such considerable losses, only to buy themselves time but without really changing anything in the end?

"Let it go tonight, Liz," Max murmured. He had felt her start to tense up and in spite of their agreement as a group to leave the past in the past he knew it could never be that easy.

"What if we can't survive without having that fourth hybrid in the group?"

"What if we can survive with three hybrids and two humans that've developed their own powers? She couldn't have foreseen this, Liz. We don't know what's gonna happen in the future and we can't control it. Maybe I did come back from the future, maybe I didn't and it was all one of her mind games, and no matter which one it was we'll never know. Obsessing over it's only gonna make your head hurt worse than it already does." He kissed her temple. "And in the end it's not gonna change a thing."

"What's done is done," she said quietly.

"Yeah." He took her hand in his and led her over to the bed, using his free hand to toss the covers back and urging her to lie down. "Do me a favor though, okay?" he whispered as he settled down next to her.

"Anything," she answered without a second thought.

"If 14 years in the future we decide to go back into the past for whatever reason… just put an end to that suggestion before it gets any further." He pulled her into his arms and she settled against him with a tired sigh.

"Promise." His fingers combed through her hair rhythmically, the feeling soothing as it chased the pain away and made her drowsy. Her eyes started to drift closed and she felt his arm tighten around her, felt his lips brush her forehead, and a feeling of safety settled over her as she went boneless in his arms.

Max struggled to stay awake, wanting to make sure she was asleep before he let himself go. He knew the moment she succumbed to sleep and he shifted slightly as his mind went back to the absurdity that he would ever leave her. "I'd never leave you to die alone," he whispered against her temple. "And one of these days you're gonna believe it with the same certainty." The words were a promise, an oath sworn in a slightly slurred voice as he followed her into an exhausted and well-deserved sleep.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Maria lay beside Michael, her eyes wide open and staring at the ceiling as her mind bounced from one possibility to the next like an overactive hamster keeping the wheels in motion. She wondered how and even if their future had been affected because of Liz's actions with Future Max. _If he had even existed in the first place,_ she thought. It wasn't like they would ever know for certain if he had. Whether he had or not the damage had been done.

Kyle's alien ability making an appearance was unexpected but she supposed if they had been paying more attention they would've connected the dots earlier. The way he had described his experience intrigued her. Maybe his secret power would somehow change their future for the better. _It was possible,_ she mused. And combined with the powers the others had who knew what they could do?

"Michael?"

"Hmm?"

The sound was drawn out, a clear indicator that he was well on his way to sleep. "Do you think Kyle could've really been there?" When he didn't answer she reached over and shook him to get his attention.

"What?" he grumbled irritably. "Tryin' to sleep here, Maria."

"And I'm trying to have an intelligent conversation with you, Michael."

"Save it." He tried to roll over and she prevented it be shifting and pinning him in place with her body. He huffed out an impatient breath. "What is so important that it can't wait until after I've had a couple hours of sleep?"

"Do you think Kyle was really in his dad's kitchen? That Jim could really see him standing there?"

"I don't know. Maria, can't this wait 'til later?"

"It could, yes, but I want to discuss it now while it's fresh." She shifted up onto her elbow to look down into his exhausted features. "Don't you think it's fascinating? How do you think he got there? Maybe he can like travel through thought waves or something, you think?" Her eyes widened as another thought occurred to her. "What if he can travel through space and time… and take someone with him?" She shook him in her excitement. "Michael, do you know what that'd mean?"

He yawned. "Yeah, it means now I'm gonna have a picture of Valenti in green tights with a little green hat stuck on his head flying through the air hollering about pixie dust." He grimaced at the mental image of Peter Pan with Kyle's face. "Thanks for that. I'll probably have nightmares now."

Maria stuck her tongue out at him. "It'd serve you right for not taking this seriously."

"I do take it seriously, Maria, just I'd like to take it seriously when I can think about it seriously. Right now my brain's too tired to think."

She rolled her eyes and lay down next to him again. She resumed her perusal of the ceiling and started ticking off the positive aspects of such a power. "Hey, what if he could take more than one person at a time? Or what if he can go wherever and bring someone back with him? Can you imagine the possibilities?"

Silence was her only response and she turned to look at Michael. His features were relaxed, his mouth slack and on its way to hanging open. _Not his most attractive look,_ she decided. She settled down beside him and her temple came to rest against his bare shoulder. They now had three hybrids and two humans with powers. Which just left her. The lone human in the group. How much of a liability was she? It was her last thought as her eyelids slid closed and sleep pulled her into its soothing embrace.

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Kyle stared at the stack of firewood next to the door, tipping his head to one side as he tried to figure out why it was there. They didn't have a fireplace in their cabin so there was no need for firewood. He supposed Max and Michael must've brought it over because it was unlikely either of them had paid much attention to how the cabin was heated. He hunched his shoulders against the wind that brought the dropping temperatures along with an additional bite to wrap around them.

He hefted the laundry that wasn't helping to protect him from the wind. "Damn, that's cold," he muttered.

Isabel brushed his hand aside and unlocked the door, pushing it in and rushing inside when he motioned for her to enter first. It was a thoughtful gesture and one she had seen him make many times since they had been on the run. Did he do that for Maria or Liz? Funny, she couldn't seem to recall whether he had or not.

She found herself wondering again why he hadn't wanted to talk to her about the changes he was going through. It made sense that he would want to confide in Liz since she had been through the process, one similar if not the same. But why couldn't he talk to her? Confide in her? For the first time there was something between them that she couldn't quite put her finger on. Was it lack of trust? Or did he not want anything to do with her because he blamed her for the changes? Maybe it was bringing on the resentment over having to run from the only home he had ever known and leaving his dad behind.

He dropped the clean laundry on the loveseat and rushed over to the wall furnace to crank the heat up before returning to the front door and ridding himself of his outerwear. He was relieved to have the secrets out, most if not all. His anxiety over his whole alien experience had notched down considerably and he was feeling a little bit better about that. He was beat and for the first time in days he felt like he could lie down and just fall asleep.

He glanced over at Isabel as she moved around the room, already free of the heavy outdoor clothing. He had felt her pulling away, distancing herself from him since he had opened up and told the others about his newly-emerging powers. He wondered if she was angry that he hadn't confided in her and then discounted that. There was no reason for her to be mad with him over that. He watched her pick things up and put them down again before finally turning to look at him.

"I think I'll see if I can sleep for a little while."

He nodded, not liking the quiet tone of her voice. "You want anything to drink first? Guess coffee's out but I could make you a hot chocolate?"

She shook her head. "Just… No, I'm just gonna take a nap." She turned and walked into the bedroom without another word.

Kyle sighed and turned, doing a visual sweep of the room. He rubbed the back of his neck as he crossed to the door to double check the lock and then made a face when he stepped into a small puddle of icy water that had melted. He wiggled his toes and shook his foot in an effort to un-stick the wet spot from the bottom of his foot.

He went back to the loveseat and picked up the two pillowcases filled with freshly washed and folded laundry. He walked over to the main bedroom and quietly crossed to the dresser to set Isabel's on one end before retreating to his own room. He tossed the Cowboy Mickey Mouse pillowcase on the bottom bunk and folded himself onto the mattress next to it so he could take his socks off. He hung them over one of the rungs on the ladder and stood to grab the mattress off of the upper bunk.

He was situating it on the floor when he paused to look around. He scratched his jaw as he stared at the floor and tried to figure out what was missing. He had been in there that morning to grab a change of clothes before going up to the main house for breakfast and he didn't remember noticing anything out of the ordinary at the time. His gaze landed on the dresser and the drawer he had pulled out the night before, using it as a makeshift altar.

After his weird experience he had jumped up and taken off, leaving everything in the middle of the floor. He hadn't even noticed it had been cleaned up when he came back the night before or even that morning. He smiled to himself as he put the mattress down, pulling it towards the doorway and wedging it in before spreading his blankets out over it. He grabbed a fresh pair of socks and pulled them on before pulling the covers up over him and snuggling in for a nap.

He smiled at the thought that Isabel had straightened up after him. There was something nice about that. It wasn't anything he expected anymore than he expected her to cook or do his laundry. He chuckled and pulled the covers up higher as he thought about the first time she had taken his laundry from him after declaring that he had no idea what he was doing. As far as he was concerned if it would fit in the washer it made a load. She'd had a fit about that. He liked the way it felt when she fussed over him but sometimes… sometimes he really wished there was more behind it. She cared about him and he tried to never take that for granted but every once in a while… The thought wandered through his mind as warmth finally seeped into his body and his eyes slid closed, easing him into the most relaxed sleep he'd had in a while.


	49. Chapter 49

**Part 49**

Michael stretched his arms over his head and glanced at Maria where she lay sleeping beside him. She was curled up tightly, a clear indicator that she wasn't relaxed. She had a tendency of sprawling when she was relaxed and for someone her size she could take up more than her fair share of the bed. He knew her mind was going over everything that had happened over the past 24 hours, sorting through the information, picking it apart, and then settling on the parts that centered around Alex.

There was no way of knowing what had really happened the night Liz had _maybe _been visited by a future version of Max. It was an unknown factor. He sighed and ran a hand over his face. There were too many unknown factors in their situation and he hated all of the uncertainty. He had never been the kind of guy that needed to have every step of his life planned out. That had been Max's cross to bear and he had been content to let him haul that burden around.

Now that they were living on the run he had a better appreciation of having a good plan. He shifted onto his side and pulled Maria into him when he heard the nearly inaudible sound of distress as she tried to curl up even tighter. He rubbed her arm and felt the rigidity in her body ease fractionally. He hated what this life had done to her.

Maria had never exactly been naïve, but any innocence she'd had left was slowly being whittled away. He could see the changes in her, could see the signs that this life was taking more from her than it could ever give back. These days there was a moment of hesitation before she jumped into a conversation with someone she didn't know. The hesitation was fine. He wanted her to be careful, to exercise caution around strangers and unknown situations, but it was the rest of it that worried him.

Sometimes he would see a flash of fear in her eyes when they were around people. Sometimes it was suspicion that caused her green eyes to dull. He knew how heavily this life was weighing on her and he hated it. Life was never predictable but being on the run had forced them to adapt in a way none of them had ever imagined.

They had to find a way to get off of the road. That thought had been picking at the back of his mind before they had gotten stranded but after seeing her as she relaxed around the Stevens family, watching her smile and laugh openly for the first time in so long, that thought had really started to take root.

They were gonna have to split up. It was their best chance for ever having anything that might come close to resembling a normal life. She hadn't liked it when he'd mentioned splitting the group up before. They lived under constant stress but he couldn't help but wonder if her reluctance to split the group up had more to do with leaving Liz or staying with him. It was a big decision and one he knew had to be made. Soon.

He knew the decision had basically been made. At least as far as he was concerned. It was just a matter of timing. There were certain things that had to fall into place first. The others knew it had to happen eventually even if they weren't ready to face that fact. He was certain that Canada was the key; if they could cross the border undetected their chances for some sort of normalcy would increase exponentially. He rolled his eyes. _Exponentially,_ he thought with a mental snort. Obviously he'd been spending too much time around Liz.

He turned his head to take a quick look at the bedside alarm clock. They were supposed to be meeting up over at Max and Liz's cabin at five-thirty and it was coming up on five o'clock already. It would take a good 45 minutes to get Maria up, motivated, and out the door. _At the very least,_ he mused as he gently shook her to wake her. They needed to get their act together because Edward's suspicion of them was still on high alert. The man hid it well but it was there. He could see it, could feel it, every time they were under the man's watchful eye.

Maria grumbled and burrowed deeper into him, doing her best to avoid waking up. He muttered under his breath and leaned over to press a kiss to her temple before rolling out of bed. Coffee might ease the annoyance of being disturbed from her nap. _Coffee and maybe a little heat,_ he decided when his feet hit the cold floor. Drag her out of bed and into the cold and pleasant wasn't going to be a word he would be using to describe her mood. The cabin did feel colder than it normally did in the mornings.

He pulled on clothes, started the fire, got a pot of coffee going, and wandered over to look outside. The tree branches swayed in response to the forceful bursts of howling wind and the sky overhead hinted at the possibility of more snow. He let the back of his hand rest against the glass for a moment before jerking it back and shoving it in his pocket. The glass was so cold he was surprised it didn't shatter.

Daylight was quickly slipping away and making way for the seemingly endless night. Sure, the days had been shorter in the wintertime back home too, but they hadn't felt this short. Maybe it was because they were so far north? Maybe he should've paid more attention in… well, whatever class that kind of information would've been taught. Or maybe it was because the frigid temperatures made it feel so much more confining.

"Is it already time to get up?"

He smiled slightly at the sleepy question and turned away from the window. "Yeah, I don't wanna be late. No reason to give Edward anymore reason to be suspicious of us. We've given him more than enough reasons already."

She didn't comment, just nodded and got up. She hissed at the cold and quickly pulled her feet back up off of the floor. "What're the chances we can hideout in Jamaica?" God, Canada was even farther north and it would probably be even colder.

"Slim to none," he said, watching her as she jerked a pair of socks on.

"Jamaica would mean sandy beaches, lots of sun, temperatures that would encourage a woman to reveal more skin…" she trailed off and looked up at him through her eyelashes.

"Yeah," he said slowly. Yeah, he could live with that.

She smiled at his gruff response. "Well, Canada has to have summer too, right?"

"I hope so."

"That wind sounds bad," she said as she forced herself out of bed.

"Yeah, and it's colder than it was earlier too."

"You should warm the van up."

"Why? It's not that far to walk."

"No, but it's freezing cold and there's no reason to end up with frostbite before we get up to the house either. Besides, it'll be dark when we come back and that means it'll be even colder than it is now."

He rolled his eyes and moved into the kitchen to grab their mugs. "Waste of gas."

"Michael."

He sighed and nodded. "Fine."

She rolled her eyes and made her way into the bathroom to splash water on her face. He would never admit it but he didn't want to walk up to the house in that cold either. He would grumble about it but he would do it for her. _She didn't care why he did it,_ she decided when she heard the front door open and close, _just as long as he did it_. Even if he insisted the walk wouldn't be that bad she knew he didn't care for the bitterly cold weather. She also knew most of his grumbling was for show because as soon as he realized just how cold it was he would've decided on the van himself. She smiled at that thought and went into the kitchen to scoop up the mug he had filled for her.

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Liz awoke to the dual sensations of comforting warmth and paralyzing cold. From the neck down her body was a nice toasty temperature but from the neck up her face felt like a frozen mask. She tried to move her facial muscles and they felt like taut rubber bands. _Well, that was an interesting sensation,_ she thought as she pulled the blankets up over her head in an attempt to thaw her face out.

Max was asleep behind her, not seeming to be bothered by the cold permeating the room. She had learned that he could sleep through just about anything when he was relaxed, which wasn't very often. She was glad that he was sleeping so deeply after everything that had happened. Her eyes snapped open and her heart started to race as the memories of all that had been revealed so recently came back against her will.

Questions continued to plague her and she knew they wouldn't stop until she could find a way to quell the doubts running through her head. Realistically she knew the chances of ever knowing the truth were slim, but she just needed something that would allow her to close the door on that event. Was that version of so-called future events possible? Did she have the ability to push Max to leave her behind to die alone if it meant his leaving could change the past and save all of them?

She closed her eyes as she tried to imagine the end of the world as he had described it. Their world at the mercy of their enemies, their friends and loved ones dead, and no hope of survival. Tears squeezed past her tightly-closed eyelids as she imagined Maria, Kyle, all of their parents, most likely all dead before Isabel and Michael.

It was unthinkable.

She felt Max frown against her shoulder when her stomach knotted with nausea and she trembled slightly. She slipped out of bed, needing space as much as she wanted to avoid disturbing his sleep. She wandered into the living room, desperately needing relief from the oppressive thoughts. She grabbed the thick flannel shirt buried amid the pile of winter gear hanging behind the door and pulled it on, wrapping it around her and burrowing her nose into the soft material. The fact that it smelled like Max slipped past her as her mind continued to taunt her with the odd pieces of the unfinished puzzle in her head.

She stood before the fireplace, the only light in the cabin coming from the nightlight over the sink in the kitchen. She sighed as she reached out to trace a finger over the journal lying on the mantle. She reached for one of the pieces, mentally turning it over before fitting it into place as she came to a conclusion in regard to the question that wouldn't leave her alone. _The answer was yes,_ she decided. She could see herself pushing Max to go back in time to attempt to prevent what had happened to all of them.

It's who she was. She looked for the answers; she was driven to search for the answers to even the most complex problems. It was why she loved science so much. There was an order to collecting data, it was method. She smiled slightly. It was sanity. It was classifying the data, categorizing it, and searching for the patterns that would eventually lead to a conclusion. Yes, in the situation that Future Max had described she could see herself pushing him to leave her behind if there was even the slightest chance that they could all be saved from certain death.

She knew Max was certain that he wouldn't leave her regardless of the circumstances, but she knew the man she had married. His alien side had once been a king. She had no doubt that in that situation he would have known she was right and he would have done whatever was necessary to save everyone they loved. She let out a groan that was nearly audible before drawing in a sharp breath as she thought about the sacrifice she had made to give him up because what she believed to be a future version of him had insisted it was the only way to save them.

Her fingertips brushed over the journal again and she picked it up, following the worn edge of the paper in search of the ribbon bookmark. In spite of the darkness surrounding her she sought the comfort she knew the tactile sensation would provide. The journal lay open in her left hand and she closed her eyes for a moment as she ran her fingers over the paper and soaked up the feeling of the letters indented in the slightly rough paper. If she concentrated hard enough she could make out some of the words and she smiled as a moment of peace descended over her.

Her serenity was short-lived as she felt herself being pulled back down into the memories that surrounded her and pulled her under like quicksand. The more she fought to get away from them the more they sucked her in and refused to let go. Had Future Max been real? Had he simply tried to change the past using a plan that was flawed? Anger coursed through her. If it was real, how had HE changed the past? She was the one he had been pushing to come up with a way to make him fall out of love with her. Had he come up with the plan that had proved to be the mother of all mistakes? No, he had pushed her to come up with something that would essentially crush him and destroy his trust.

She sighed as the anger began to slide into the background. Before she had enough time to relax, she felt the heat of rage beginning to build once again. Maybe it was all a lie and Tess had gotten into her head. The alien girl would've known that she would've done anything for the love of Max. _It didn't matter now,_ she reminded herself. There was no way to discover the truth and even if she could it wouldn't change anything. There was no magically-altered Granolith that was going to take her back in time to prevent Tess from killing Alex, to stop the Special Unit from coming after them, or to fix things so that they were able to live like normal people with normal lives.

She shuddered, releasing a heavy sigh as she uttered a single grief-laced word. "Alex." A tear spilled over and rolled down her cheek and barely a breath passed before a second one took up the chase in an effort to catch up with the first one. She stumbled over to the couch, heedless of banging her knee against the edge of the coffee table. She closed the journal with a ragged sigh and placed it on the table, reaching up at the same time to wipe away the tear that was clinging to her chin. She slowly sat up and reminded herself to breathe, inhaling and exhaling methodically as she brought herself under control.

Liz leaned back and stared up at the ceiling as she mentally organized the pieces of the puzzle to take a clearer look at them. There were things now that were so glaringly obvious. Things that hadn't made sense, things that had nagged at her at the time but there had been no time to process them and lay out an intelligent argument.

Her spine stiffened as she recalled his insistence that she had given herself to him, _cementing their relationship_ in his words, the night of the Gomez concert. He had been so sure of himself. So… so… almost smug in what he claimed to be first-hand knowledge. He had stood there, claiming to have the memory of something she knew she hadn't been ready for at the time. _Hindsight really was 20/20,_ she thought, so incensed that it stilled her tears.

And then of course, there was the mariachi band question. Isabel was so sure that Max would never stoop so low. Even though her brother had been acting like a lovesick puppy she insisted there was a line he wouldn't cross. Not to mention, Isabel had made a good point about him using his powers in front of others.

She sat back and rested her head against the cushions, looking around the cabin in a futile effort to get off the Future Max merry-go-round. Her gaze landed on the window, momentarily distracting herself with the snow and Christmas coming. Thoughts of her parents popped into her head and her eyes widened at the memory of her dad interrupting them that night, calling out and asking, "Is that Max again?" He had even walked up to the wall bordering the balcony in time to catch a glimpse of Max as he made his escape.

How had she forgotten that?

She started to gnaw on her bottom lip. Why hadn't she just asked Max directly about the mariachi band? She shook her head, annoyed that the question only now seemed to be so obvious. She was pulled out of her thoughts when the wind started to gust and the temperature in the cabin seemed to drop a little more each time it blew.

She rubbed her arms, the soft flannel feeling like sandpaper against her frozen skin. She got to her feet and walked over to the window, straining to see the Christmas lights on the Stevens' porch and whispering a prayer of thanks for the gift of being off the road and safe for a little while.

_The others were right,_ she decided as she stared at the tiny dots of blurry light she could now make out. The wind was blowing the freshest snow around, giving the cheery lights a hazy appearance. Obsessing over the Future Max thing didn't serve a purpose. She had to find a way to let it go.

She turned to stare at Max. Her eyes had acclimated enough to the darkness to make out his form if not his features. She made her way back over the bed and slipped beneath the covers. She was quickly enveloped in her husband's warm, loving arms. She would do it, she vowed. It was going to be her mantra. To embrace Max and reach for the future, and let go of Future Max and everything associated with that time in their painful past.

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The atmosphere felt confined, as if the endless boundaries of his mind had become solid walls that were slowly closing in on her. She reached out and felt resistance, which confused her. She was surrounded by white and that didn't make sense either. His mind could be complex at times, strangely intriguing at times, and disgustingly male at others, but the one thing his mind never was, was closed off.

"He'll never be an open book."

She turned as the dreamscape changed from the confusing and blinding sea of white, a multitude of colors slowly lending vibrant life to the scene. Alex stood there, his appearance as surprising as it was comforting. "You can't be here," she said as the moment from her past, from another foray into the dream world that would be forever immortalized in her mind, leapt to life.

"It's the upside to this existence," he said patiently.

It didn't make any sense. "But it's not even my dream."

"No," he shrugged. "It was always one of my favorites though." He smiled as he cued the music and offered his hand to her.

Isabel slipped her hand into his, feeling the familiar pang in the vicinity of her heart at the contact. He felt so real and she knew he wasn't, knew he couldn't be. For an endless moment in time she allowed herself to get lost in the moment, letting her heart believe that he was still alive and they were dancing to their song.

Reality couldn't intrude in this place, but even on the dreamplane there were distractions. It was there, just beyond the borders of the intimate setting. Something flickered in the darkness, the insistence irresistibly drawing her gaze time after time. _Kyle._ Her gaze shifted to focus on those flickers and after a while her palm moved to rest against Alex's cheek, shocked once again at how alive he felt in these moments.

"It's Kyle," she murmured as she kissed him gently. "I need to go check on him. There's so much going on with him and he isn't confiding in me the way he normally does. I just need to find out what I can do to help him." She stared into his gray eyes that had always seen so much more than she was comfortable revealing. "Promise me you won't leave."

He shook his head. "As long as you need me I'll never leave you, Isabel." His hand came up to brush her hair back and he smiled as he stepped back, putting space between them. "Go now, I'll be waiting when you get back."

She left the warmth of Alex's presence and ventured further out, surprised when the flicker began to take shape and white walls began to erupt from the equally white floor below her feet to stand high on all sides. She experienced a bout of vertigo when she was suddenly thrust up into the air and her arms shot out at her sides so she could maintain her balance. She frowned as she looked around, trying to place why the white walls below seemed so familiar.

She stood, precariously balanced on one short wall as she studied the sharp turns, dead ends, and endless possibility of directional choices. _It was a maze,_ she realized. A maze with interior walls made of mirrors. Okay, that was a little weird. Out of all the dreams she had ever visited this had to be one of the more confusing. No, Kyle wasn't an open book exactly, but usually there was a sense of order to the dreams.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when a large hand reached down beside her to pull up one of the partitions. Obviously Kyle shouldn't have eaten whatever he'd found to snack on after she had gone to take a nap because it was giving him nightmares. Her eyebrows lifted when she saw Kyle enter through the opening created by the Hand and a moment later the partition was replaced and the Hand withdrew.

He took a few steps, one hand reaching out to touch the mirrored wall and she moved to see what he was looking at when he jumped back and emitted what could only be described as a high-pitched squeal. "We've officially moved beyond weird and confusing," she muttered when she caught sight of his reflection. Instead of his own reflection, the image reflected back at him looked like a white lab rat. With his face. He shrank back into a corner as he looked up and she turned her head to follow his gaze. Appearing in the form of giants hovering above the maze, Michael, Max, Liz, Maria, and herself were gathered around the maze, faces close together as they waited to see what their experiment would yield.

If the realization of his fear wasn't so palpable she would've laughed at the expressions of demented glee on their faces when their experiment took a few halting steps. Michael, hair in disarray and spiked as if he'd recently been struck by a high-voltage shock, dark eyes crazed, laughed maniacally and demanded that the subject perform.

She wondered if this was how he saw them. How he saw her. That thought hurt and she hoped it was just his overactive mind creating these images. She hadn't known just how freaked out he was at the thought of developing his powers. They would be an asset, something that could be beneficial to all of them, and she couldn't imagine why he wouldn't want them.

"Did you want to be different?" Alex appeared beside her, hands deep in the pockets of his jeans, his gray sweatshirt hanging comfortably on his tall frame. "When you were little and you discovered that you had abilities that set you apart from everyone else? When you realized that those differences could be dangerous?"

"No, I guess I didn't."

"He's a human developing alien powers. Liz had a difficult time with it too. What Maria likes to refer to as your 'secret powers' isn't exactly something any of them want." He smiled at her when she rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I know, but the main reason she refers to them as such is because it drives a certain hybrid nuts."

"It's not a bad thing." She paused for a moment, watching Kyle as he fumbled his way through the maze, occasionally poked and prodded by his observers. "Is it?"

"Not if it's something you want, something you asked for. It's not just that they're developing abilities that're alien, Isabel; they're changing, becoming different. You don't see them as some other lifeform because this's who you are; having the ability to heal, to blow things up, to make the occasional trip into someone's subconscious, those are things you three have spent your lives coming to terms with. They're running for their lives and trying to adapt to changes to not only what they can do, but who they are. Liz, she's had some time to begin adjusting to it, to accept that she's still the same person inside. But Kyle? This's not only new to him but he's got Michael breathing fire down his back about showing everyone what he can do." He chuckled. "I know he means well, but it wouldn't hurt for someone to remind him that Kyle's not a trained seal."

"Michael doesn't come across like that intentionally. He's just…"

"I know, he's wired. There's a lot going on and it's got him on edge. Under what passes for normal circumstances for you guys these days that edge is a good thing. It keeps him alert but if it's not balanced out it tips the scales and he loses sight of what's right in front of him. Kyle's weirded out by his new abilities and I think this nightmare demonstrates just how cornered he feels right now."

Isabel turned to look at the maze and she frowned when the rat released a terrified squeal and jumped back as a wall slammed down, effectively trapping him in a small cubicle. He stood and felt along the walls that were suddenly seamless and she followed his gaze when he glanced up in time to see a net dropping down to ensnare him. She felt the familiar tug as the dream began to fade out and she awoke abruptly.

Kyle drew in a harsh breath as he fought against the net that had wrapped around him, panicking when his struggling only seemed to draw it tighter. He hit the wall behind him and he froze for a moment before clawing at the net again. He snarled in frustration and jerked back, smacking his head hard just as he broke free of the net and his eyes snapped open.

"Damn it," he muttered as he reached behind him to rub the back of his head. He looked at the mangled mess of his blanket, making a sound of annoyance when he realized it was twisted and wrapped around him. He pushed at it, unknotting it and kicking free of it so he could get to his feet. He gave the pillow a vicious kick and then leaned over to grab the mattress, tossing it back on the bunk and then grabbing the pillow and throwing it in the same general direction. He folded his arms on the top bunk and sighed heavily as he rested his forehead on one fisted hand.

Isabel watched him from the living room and her heart went out to him. He was under a completely different kind of pressure right now and it was taking its toll on him. She moved to the kitchen, making enough noise to let him know he wasn't alone without intruding into his space.

It wasn't the sound of movement that caught his attention so much as the scent of freshly brewed coffee. Kyle lifted his head and slowly turned around before shuffling out of his room. He passed by the kitchen, appreciating it when Isabel let him pass without comment. In the bathroom he got himself ready to go to dinner and shook his head as he caught his reflection in the mirror. _His hair looked worse than Michael's had looked back in high school,_ he thought as he tried in vain to smooth it down.

"Crap," he muttered. He had no idea how his powers worked and he wasn't about to try any of that on his head. With the way his luck seemed to be going here lately he'd probably set his hair on fire or something. He looked around and finally ducked out of the bathroom long enough to snatch a comb off of Isabel's dresser. What she didn't know wouldn't hurt her. He ran the comb under the faucet and shook it out before running it through his hair, nodding to himself when that did the trick.

He shook off the remnants of the nightmare and wiped the comb on his jeans before leaving the bathroom. He placed the comb right back where he had found it and then left her room to join her in the kitchen.

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Michael nearly lost his footing as he rounded the van and he inhaled sharply as he caught himself by grabbing onto the door handle. He cursed under his breath as the sensation of broken glass creeping down his esophagus began to fade. Why would anyone voluntarily live anywhere that had weather this cold? It made no sense to him. He had a feeling Canada was even colder and he was certain he would have moments where he wondered what he had been thinking, but their situation was different.

He wrapped his hand tighter around the handle and gave it a solid tug. And frowned when it didn't so much as budge. He gripped it with his left hand, pressed the release with his right thumb and gave it another yank. Nothing. What the hell was wrong with it? The damn thing had worked fine the day before.

_That would be the day before when it was inside the slightly warmer mechanic shop, right, El Capitan?_ He could practically hear Kyle's mocking voice taunting him. He arranged his hands into the position he had just attempted and did a rapid push/pull that would have anyone watching in stitches. The van rocked back and forth but the door stubbornly remained closed. The damn thing was frozen solid. Okay, fine, that was easy enough to fix.

He shook his head and glanced around, making sure he wasn't being observed. He pulled the glove off of his right hand and placed his palm over the thin gap between the door and the frame, putting all of his concentration into heating the frame so he could get the door open. For just a moment the metal glowed but it quickly faded and he grasped the handle once more, gave it a good solid yank… and frowned when it didn't open.

He leaned in closer and studied the door before snarling out a curse and jerking on the handle erratically. He finally stopped pulling on it and sighed heavily, his breath appearing in the freezing air for just a moment before melting away. His hand fell away from the door and he stomped around the van to grab the handle for the sliding door, giving it a rough yank and rolling his eyes when it complied with ease.

He reached over the front seat and popped the lock on the passengers' side door. He pulled his hand back but before he could attempt opening the front door Maria appeared beside him, placed her small hand on the handle, and pulled it open without an ounce of resistance. He cupped one hand under her elbow to make sure she didn't slip as she climbed up into the front seat and then shut the door after her.

He clambered inside and shoved the sliding door closed before squeezing himself between the front seats. He dropped into the drivers' seat and shoved the key into the ignition, huffing and puffing as he wiggled and squirmed around to get himself behind the steering wheel.

Maria watched him as he grunted and cursed his way into position. The bulky winter gear was doing nothing to help things along and it took an effort to wait until he was finally situated before she spoke. "Um… Michael?"

He placed his hands on the dashboard, silently insisting that the engine heat faster. "What?" he rumbled when warm air finally began to kick out through the vents.

"Is there a reason you didn't just get in on the drivers' side?"

"Do you know how long it took to get up here from the back?"

"Well, yeah." She motioned to herself. "I was here for that entire production."

"If someone had to get up here in a heartbeat we'd be screwed. We're gonna have to figure something out should that situation ever arise."

"Um-hmm." _Frozen door,_ she decided.

He turned to glare at her but because of the bulky clothing he didn't quite pull it off. "What're you not sayin'?"

"You tried to thaw out the lock and melted it," she deduced with a knowing smile.

"No, I didn't."

"Yes, you did."

"No, I… I'm not gonna argue with you about this."

_Well, that'd be a first,_ she thought with an amused smirk on her face. She watched him for a few moments, seeing him as she had the night he had stood in front of her car, surrounded by a cloud of smoke after essentially frying her battery. She chuckled quietly. "Feels like old times," she murmured. She reached over to put her hand into his, giving it a squeeze. "Try it again."

"Maria, it's not even gonna take a minute to get over to pick up Kyle and Isabel," he complained.

For a split second her mind took her back to that raunchy porno-Aladdin hotel room she had shared with him and she leaned into him, bringing her other hand up to touch his jaw. "Please, Michael?"

His eyes locked onto hers as he released a breath he hadn't even realized he was holding and he gently pulled his hand free of hers to tug his glove off. He shifted around, twisting his body until he was completely uncomfortable, so he could rest his hand over the spot he had melted on the opposite side. He focused on the task at hand and he heard a nearly inaudible 'pop' as the door's locking mechanism became un-welded.


	50. Chapter 50

**Part 50**

_Subzero temperatures really sucked the big one,_ Michael thought as he reached around Maria to knock on the Stevens' back door. The six of them were huddled up on the porch as the wind did its level best to knock them off of their feet. It hadn't even been a minute since they had climbed out of the van to navigate their way up to the house but the heat that had poured from the vents and made the albeit brief ride pleasant had dissipated the moment they set foot in the snow. The icy wind was like a living thing, the glacial blast assaulting them without mercy.

Maria stood in front of him, shaking hard enough that he was sure he could hear her teeth chattering. He couldn't help but be reminded of the night they had stood in this very spot, half-frozen and relying on the kindness of strangers. There were similarities, but some very big differences as well. They hadn't been dressed to deal with the elements that night and he could remember thinking how cold it was at the time. He snorted silently. Yeah, they were dressed for it now and he was freezing his alien ass off! Damn, what if they had gotten caught unprepared out in this weather?

He glanced at the guys standing on either side of him. Max was using his body to shield Liz from the worst of the wind and Kyle was… well, he was blocking most of the wind for Isabel. She didn't exactly tower over him but there was a noticeable difference in height. So it was probably good her head was covered otherwise… He frowned. Could you get frostbite on your head? He had no clue. _And the cold had to be affecting his ability to concentrate, _he decided as he realized the door was still closed.

The wind viciously gusted again and his arms tightened around Maria, bringing her flush against him so that she was practically standing on the toes of his boots. He was tucking his chin into her shoulder when the door suddenly opened wide and Julia was ushering them inside, her voice slightly apologetic and warm with concern.

"Oh, come on inside! I am sooo sorry! We had the door locked because it has a tendency to blow open. You must be freezing!" She pushed the door shut against the wind and slapped the lock into place. She shot a baleful glance at it when it creaked slightly in protest. "Here," she said as she turned back to their guests, "let me help you out of those coats so you can get right into the living room and warm yourselves up in front of the stove. Once you've thawed out we'll have a nice hot, relaxing dinner."

Michael's stomach growled at the very mention of food. _It was like déjà vu,_ he thought as the warmth of the kitchen hit him, almost making his face feel like it was on fire. This time though, the scent of what might be apple pie mingled with the aroma of hot coffee to permeate the air. His eyes followed his stomach's directive and he sought out the source of the other scent that he couldn't quite pinpoint. Three large foil-covered pans sat on the stove alongside a large covered pot. Two baskets covered with dishtowels rested on the counter and he wondered what was inside. He barely noticed Julia moving away once their outerwear was put away but she had his full attention when she cracked the oven door open and the scents of apple and cinnamon intensified.

A collective sound of _mmm_ broke out but Maria was the first to speak up.

"Oooh, what is that wonderful smell?"

Julia beamed at their comments. "Why thank you. I thought tonight we'd just keep it casual, have dinner in the living room. And what's better for a windy, freezing night than comfort food in front of the woodstove?" She motioned to the covered dishes. "Two types of macaroni and cheese, green beans, fresh baked rolls with butter, baked apples with cinnamon sugar, and Magic Bars for dessert."

The uncharacteristic quiet in the house caught Michael's attention as Julia ushered them into the living room. _Just like she had done that very first night,_ he mused. He scanned the room, taking notice of the two couches that were once again corralled around the stove along with Edward's recliner. Brian had wrangled the seat next to Stefanie and Travis was dozing at the other end of the couch. He snorted silently at the kid's attempt at pretending he was cool enough to be right beside her. His eyes narrowed slightly when he detected movement and he noticed Eddie on the opposite couch, hopefully holding up a blanket as he looked at Maria.

_Not happening, kid,_ he thought as his arms came around his girlfriend who was still trembling from the cold.

Maria rolled her eyes when he pulled her back against him, knowing very well he could see it. She knew it was pointless because he took hints poorly… _or just ignored them altogether,_ she decided when his chin settled into her shoulder. She gave him a hint he couldn't ignore and shoved her elbow into his ribs, pointing across the room.

It was the unusually small voice rather than the rib jab that drew his focus away from Eddie. He followed the sound over to the corner near the piano where Maggie stood, her expression and stance clear indicators that she was attempting bravery in the face of fear.

"Um, Daddy?" She craned her neck to peer at him. "Cindy wants to know if you're almost done feeding Elliott."

Edward glanced at his little girl as he fed the last of the wood through the opening of the woodstove. "Yes, tell Miss Cindy I'm about to close his mouth. It makes a little noise when I close it, but there's nothing to be scared of."

It was all Michael could do to hold back a smile as he watched her. She was clutching her polar bear tightly in both arms, her cheek pressed up against the little bear as she waited for Cindy's next words. She was standing her ground in spite of her fear. A lot like someone else he knew. He brushed a kiss against Maria's cheek and gave her a gentle hug.

Maggie straightened up and loosened her grip on the bear in her arms. She swallowed hard as she tipped her chin up just a bit. "It's okay, Daddy. I'm not afraid of Elliott closing his mouth. It just makes Cindy jump a little."

"Who's Elliot?" Maria asked curiously.

Maggie smiled up at the couple and pointed at the woodstove. "He's a good dragon, not like the bad dragon in that movie Brian an' Eddie made me watch."

"A dragon movie, huh?" Michael asked as he hunkered down next to the little girl. "What movie are we talkin' about?"

Maggie's lips thinned and she squeezed Cindy tighter but before she could say anything Edward spoke up.

"That would be _The Dragon Slayer,_" he said, shooting a hard look at his boys.

Kyle, who was animatedly talking to Stephanie, heard the title of the movie and paused his conversation with her to throw in his two cents. "Oh, hey, that's the one with that really cool scene where the dragon comes up outta the water…"

Isabel rolled her eyes when his arms lifted in mimicry of the dragon rising from the water. She wondered if he had any idea just how ridiculous he looked at that moment.

"Yeah, he comes up right behind the dragon slayer and all the guy hears is this intake of breath before the dragon just lets loose with that flamethrower. It was an awesome…" he cleared his throat when he caught the glare being aimed at him by El Capitan. "Right, that was just an awesomely horrible scene."

"Good try," Liz whispered when Max smirked at the way Kyle was backpedaling.

"Yeah, Elliot's not like that mean dragon," Maggie said, once again directing her words at Michael and Maria. Her voice dropped to a stage whisper. "That was a bad movie!"

"It wasn't a bad movie," Eddie insisted. "Brian talked me into watchin' it when Mom an' Dad were out on New Years' Eve. And Maggie said she wanted to watch it."

"Did not!" Maggie denied.

"You did too," Eddie argued. "Not that it matters, you got that goofy kids' movie about the good dragon for Christmas." He made a face at the memory. He knew the name of the stupid movie because Dad had made him watch it with her like a hundred times for letting her see _The Dragon Slayer._ And he hadn't complained at first since the movie had made her have bad dreams for a while and he'd felt bad about that, but after like the tenth time he had stopped feeling bad and just never wanted to see the movie again.

"What about you, Michael?" Maggie asked as she looked at Michael.

"Me?"

"Did you see _Pete's Dragon?_ Or did you watch Brian an' Eddie's bad movie?"

"Uh, no, can't say as I've seen it." He glanced up when Edward closed the grate and it squeaked in protest. "That's who you named the um…" he pointed at the woodstove, "dragon after?"

"Um-hmm, 'cause he's a nice dragon." She smiled and pointed out the body of the 'dragon'. "Don't you think he looks like a nice dragon?"

He followed her pointing finger, taking in the wide iron grated door that carefully guarded the hot coals and flames. He took note of the shape of the stove and the rough metal segmented cylinder exhaust that twisted around to connect to a vent in the wall. "Yeah, he looks like a pretty nice dragon."

"Alright, everyone, let's go, dinner's ready," Julia announced from the doorway. She ushered her family and guests into the kitchen, having them form a line and pick up a plate and utensils to serve themselves. Once their plates were full she sent them back out into the living room to settle down and enjoy their meal.

Half an hour later Isabel was sitting on the sofa close to Kyle, wondering why Stephanie seemed to think he was so hilarious. Sure, he could be funny, but really? She knew while he was busy running his mouth and entertaining the Reindeer Whisperer at least he wasn't solely focused on what was waiting for him back at the cabin and she couldn't really fault him for that. She couldn't put her finger on it, but something just wasn't setting right as she watched the two of them making small talk and laughing.

Kyle was reaching over to grab another roll from the basket Julia had placed on the coffee table and he caught sight of Isabel as she shifted her gaze to the empty tree stand in front of the window, still waiting to be filled for Christmas. He could almost see the kaleidoscope of colors go off over her head as the proverbial light bulb switched on.

Isabel looked at Maggie, smiling at the little girl who was sitting in her chair next to her daddy, her empty plate balanced precariously on her lap. "Maggie, are you just about ready to be Santa's Little Elf Helper?" she asked.

Maggie started to bounce up and down in her seat, nearly upsetting her plate. "Oh, yes! Christmas on the Lake is the day after tomorrow! Mama an' me, we have Santa's arrival marked on the calendar and we put an X on every day to see how many days is left." She turned her head to look at Mama. "Is it time yet to put an X on today?"

Julia smiled. "Soon. After you've cleaned up for bed and have your PJs on."

The little girl stood up, oblivious to the 'dragon' behind her as she faced Mama, her plate in hand. "Is it time for Magic Bars? Cindy's ready for hers." A log shifted in the woodstove and made a crackling sound and her gaze shot to it as she took a step back towards Daddy.

"Y'know, I don't know what a Magic Bar is," Michael said as he shifted to sit on the edge of the cushion. He turned from the waist to take his girlfriend's empty plate and stacked it on top of his before getting to his feet. "Princess Maggie, maybe you could introduce your Captain to dessert," he said to draw her attention away from the woodstove.

Maggie's eyes widened as she turned to look up at him. "You never had a Magic Bar?" She crossed the room and reached up to take his free hand and started to tug him along with her. "You gotta have one, Michael. It's like that commercial for tater chips… you can't eat just one."

"I think we should limit Michael to just one," Kyle said with a grin. "Too much sugar and he'll be bouncing off the walls. Maria will never be able to put him to bed tonight."

"You're a funny guy, Valenti," Michael muttered, leaning over the back of the couch and freeing his hand long enough to give Kyle's ear a hard flick. He lowered his voice so his words didn't carry past his intended target. "At least I'm not sleepin' with Mickey Mouse."

"Hey," he rubbed his stinging ear and turned to glare at Michael, "keep it up and you could be."

Michael just snorted at that and glanced down when Maggie's little hand slipped into his again. "In your dreams."

Isabel could've kicked him when she saw Kyle swallow hard at the unintentional reminder of the nightmare he'd had before they had come up to the house. "Michael…"

He looked at Isabel when she called him. "Yeah?"

"Don't overdo it," she warned and knew from the way he glanced between her and Kyle that he had gotten the message loud and clear.

"So anyway," Kyle said as his attention focused on Stephanie once again, "you were explaining why you're sleepin' down at the barn tonight instead of in a nice warm bed."

"The wind's getting worse and it helps settle the reindeer." She smiled and flipped her hair back over her shoulder. "They were born in captivity so they're not accustomed to the elements the way that wild reindeer are."

Travis settled deeper into the cushions and yawned widely. "What she means to say is she needs to be there to keep an eye on the space heaters she'll be using to keep the temperature in the barn from freezing our furry friends."

"Mom, may I be excused?" Eddie asked as he finished his dinner. "I'm ready for dessert."

"Yeah, me too," Brian said as he got to his feet.

Julia nodded and motioned for them to make themselves scarce. "Speaking of the temperatures," she said, drawing the gazes of the others in the room, "they are dipping down very low tonight." She looked at Isabel. "Two of the cabins will fare well in these situations, but I'm afraid the cabin you and Kyle have won't provide you with adequate heat to get through the night. Edward and I thought you'd be more comfortable staying here at the house tonight."

"Oh, well…" she and Kyle exchanged a look. As much as she knew he would like to avoid what was waiting for them at the cabin after dinner, they both knew putting it off was only going to put Michael more on edge.

He caught the sympathetic look in her eyes and he reached over to take her hand as he looked at Julia. "We appreciate that. We had plans to spend a little time together after dinner, so if it's alright, maybe we could come back a little later?" Part of him wanted so badly to avoid what was coming, but the other part wanted to get it over with. Who knew, maybe somehow he would get some answers about what was happening to him. At least he didn't have green sparks arcing off of his skin the way Liz had when she had started to develop her powers.

"Oh, no, of course." Julia smiled. "Every couple needs their alone time."

Max snickered at that, earning him a glare from his sister that promised revenge when he least expected it. He didn't care. It would be worth it.

"Stop teasing them," Liz murmured as she stood and took his plate. "Would you like some dessert?"

He looked up at her and smiled as he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

She couldn't stop the laughter that bubbled up at his expression and she didn't try. She felt freer than she had in so long and she wanted to embrace it. "I'm gonna clean up a little bit and then I'll bring you something."

Max felt his heart nearly trip over itself when she laughed and it sounded so carefree and unburdened. "Could I talk you out of a coffee too?"

She sighed and rolled her eyes playfully. "Well, I guess I could bring you a cup of coffee. I'll expect payment later, Mr. Evans."

He grinned as he nodded. "And you shall have it, Mrs. Evans."

"I think I'm gonna barf," Kyle muttered when he overheard the quiet, teasing conversation.

"Don't you save that for after a beer blast?" Max asked with a quick glance at him.

He looked at Liz. "Is nothing sacred?"

"Not only is that not sacred, it wasn't exactly a secret, Valenti," Michael said as he came back into the room with a small plate and sat down next to Maria. He lifted his elbow to block his friend's hand when he reached for one of the treats on his plate. "Hey, you want someone to bring you dessert, ask your wife nicely." He snorted and held the plate out towards Maria to offer her one of the sweets. "Although, if I were you, I think I'd ask very nicely." He watched Maggie settle down next to her daddy again before turning his attention back to Maria.

Maria broke off one corner of the dessert and popped it in her mouth, her eyes widening as the chocolaty-buttery goodness melted on her tongue. The flavors of coconut and graham cracker crumbs combined with the sweeter flavors to create a taste that was simply unbelievable. "Oh, my gosh," she mumbled, "that's so good!" She looked at her boyfriend. "Did you…" she reached up to wipe a smudge of chocolate from the corner of his mouth. "Nevermind." She broke off another small bite and leaned forward to kiss him before getting up. "Don't eat all that because I'll be back before long and I'd like to enjoy the rest of it."

He popped part of the Magic Bar in his mouth and his gaze bounced between her and Liz. "Where're you goin'?"

She reached down to press her forefinger under his chin and he obediently closed his mouth. "Not attractive," she whispered. "I'm gonna help Liz clean up the kitchen."

"Oh, that's not necessary," Julia insisted when she realized what the girls intended to do.

"We'd like to do it," Maria said as she and Liz moved to the doorway.

Michael and Kyle looked at each other and rolled their eyes.

_We'd like to do it? _Kyle mouthed.

_Girls,_ they thought at the same time.

"Hey, Maria, where're you goin'?" Eddie asked as he came out of the kitchen with dessert.

"Liz and I were just gonna clean up the kitchen."

"Oh." He looked around them at the living room. "Well, I could help you."

"You know what? That's really sweet and I appreciate it, but we thought maybe we'd have a little girl time while we're cleaning up."

"Girl time?" he echoed with a confused look on his face.

Brian smirked at his clueless little brother as he squeezed past them to go back to the living room. "That's what they call it when they go off together to talk about guys," he said wisely.

"You've cracked the secret girl code," Liz said, shaking her head.

The teenager bit into a Magic Bar and grinned smugly. "I know." He continued on his way into the living room with his brother trailing behind him.

Maria snorted as she and Liz went to work in the kitchen, working around each other with practiced ease. "We go off together to talk about guys," she muttered under her breath. "Can you believe that?"

Liz laughed quietly. "Isn't it true?"

The blonde paused for a moment and thought about that. "Well, okay, most of the time it probably is true but that's not the point." She giggled and handed Liz another dish to place in the soapy water she had filled the sink with before going back to drying the silverware and placing them in the proper drawer.

She watched Liz as she scrubbed the baked-on apple and cinnamon and noted the easing of her facial muscles and the gleam in her eyes. For the past couple of days her complexion had appeared dull, her eyes lifeless, and her own heart just felt lighter in response to her best friend's more relaxed features. She smiled when Liz glanced up at her and her lips lifted in response to the look on her face. _How many times had they looked at each other and without a word between them known exactly what was on the other's mind?_

It was a moment of comfort, the sort she would've experienced back home when they were closing up for the night at the Crashdown or maybe just sharing a meal together before starting their shift. She smiled when the scent of cinnamon wafted through the air as the water in the sink sloshed in response to Liz's vigorous scrubbing.

"That smell reminds me so much of Mom's cinnamon rolls. Remember the ones she'd bake for Christmas morning?"

Liz's hands stilled as she lost herself in the pleasant memory. "Yeah, she'd always drop some off at the café on Christmas Eve and the customers would take an order to go so they'd have them to share with their families on Christmas morning."

Maria felt her chest squeeze at the memory and she swallowed hard as she wondered if her mom would be making the cinnamon rolls this year. Would Jeff Parker even care about selling them to his customers this Christmas? She cleared her throat and steered the conversation to a safer topic. "Okay, so keeping with tradition, Chica… how're you doing? You and Max look like maybe things have gotten better."

"Yeah," Liz said and smiled, "yeah, I think maybe we're getting back on track."

"You've found a way to leave what happened in the past?"

"Some of it's a little… well, not easier, but certainly less difficult than others, so I'm just trying to focus on finding acceptance with them one thing at a time." She shrugged. "There's no way we'll ever know what happened with," she turned to make sure they were alone and lowered her voice, "Future Max, but other than a question or two I've put it where it needs to be."

Maria nodded and threw her arms around her best friend. "I'm so glad things are getting better for you and Max. And you're right, Chica, it's best to let that go. Sometimes we have to accept that we're never gonna have all the answers." She laughed quietly as she leaned back. "I know for someone with a brain that works like yours doesn't find that easy to accept, but you're less likely to drive yourself crazy this way."

"What about you, Maria?" Liz asked. "How're things going with you and Michael?" She reached into the sink to pull the plug so the water could drain and then took the dishtowel from Maria to dry her hands. "Have you guys really talked? Maybe dug up a few of your own issues that needs to be dealt with?"

"Things have been pretty hectic," she hedged. She sighed and turned to lean back against the counter as she twisted the towel in her hands. After several minutes she shook her head. "No, we haven't really sat down and talked. And I know we're running out of time because he's ready to pack everyone into the van and hit the road again as soon as Christmas on the Lake is over."

Liz snorted. "You know we're not leaving before Christmas. Isabel won't allow it."

"I know how he can be when he feels boxed in and he's restless. I understand where he's coming from, ya know? And I know we can't stay here forever, but if we could just stay through Christmas."

"He sounded pretty serious the other night when he was talking about all of us splitting up." She shook her head. "I like the thought of not being on the road all the time, but… the six of us not being together? I can't even imagine it."

"It would be nice to live someplace that didn't have wheels." Maria laughed. "I wouldn't miss Michael propping his feet on the dashboard and clipping his toenails, Kyle snoring loud enough to rattle the windows, or Max eating those damn sunflower seeds and leaving the shells everywhere."

They looked at each other and spoke at the same time, "And Isabel griping about all of them."

Liz chuckled. "I'll take the sunflower seeds over toenail clippings any day."

"Both of those habits suck for everyone else riding with them."

Maggie ran into the kitchen and looked up at them. "Are you guys done yet?" She was clutching something red and white to her chest, nearly suffocating Cindy who was buried behind the material.

Liz looked around and nodded. "Yeah, I think we're finished."

"What've you got there?" Maria asked as she dropped to one knee in front of the little girl.

Maggie's eyes widened and she grinned. "Isabel wants to see my elf costume and so Mama said I could get the Santa hats for everyone!"

"Everyone?" Liz almost choked on the word.

"Well, there's not enough for everyone, but Michael and Max were really nice an' said they'd let you wear theirs." Her smile widened and she lowered her voice. "I got an elf hat though an' since Max is an elf too I'm gonna give it to him."

"That was nice of them, wasn't it?" Maria asked as she and Liz each took a hat. She stifled a laugh when Liz reached out to run her fingers over the rougher green material of the elf hat… that had large elf ears sewn onto the sides. "That's a pretty cool hat, Maggie." She had a feeling he was going to be happy to see the one his sister had picked out for him to wear for the Christmas on the Lake festivities after seeing the atrocity the little girl was going to present him with.

"Eddie picked that one out last year." Maggie grinned. "He put it on Daddy when he was sleeping and Mama took a picture of him."

"I'll bet that's a great picture," Liz said with a laugh.

They walked into the living room, hearing Isabel as she went over the planner that was never far out of reach. Kyle was leaning forward, his chin resting in his hand as he reached over to point something out.

Maria's gaze immediately sought out Michael, easily picking up on the tension in him as he listened to Isabel assigning more duties and making notes. He was ready to leave, to go back to the cabin so he could find out what Kyle could do.

The girls sat down next to Michael and Max, looking up to catch Julia and Isabel looking at them before they had time to wiggle around and get comfortable. They glanced at each other and smiled as they faced the head of the holiday insanity and only encouraged her when they asked, "Is there something we can do?"

Beside her Maria could feel Michael tense up even more and she shifted to lean into him as she slid her hand into his, lacing their fingers together.

Isabel checked something off of her list as she smiled in satisfaction. "Yes, there is."

Maggie leaned against the arm of the couch closest to Isabel and peered at the planner over her shoulder. "Is there gonna be practice for Santa's Elf Helper?"

Liz leaned forward and smiled warmly at her. "Oh, yeah, if us elves have to be there, so does Santa's Elf Helper."

The little girl squeezed her beloved toy tightly to her chest. "Here that, Cindy?" She looked around the room before her gaze settled on Isabel once more. "Oooh, can Cindy help too?"

"I'll bet Isabel doesn't have anyone down for cookie duty yet," Max said as he draped an arm around his wife's shoulders. She settled into his side, her body relaxed and the smile on her face telling him everything he needed to know. He glanced over at Michael, noticing the way he was watching Isabel and Kyle so intently. His gaze dropped to the couple's linked hands and he wondered if either of them was conscious of Maria's free hand softly stroking his arm in a soothing gesture.

"Max?"

He looked down when Maggie called his name and he focused his attention on her. "Hey, Maggie."

"I brought you an elf hat. I forgot you already got one though."

He held his hand out for the hat and cringed internally when he got a good look at it. "That's really somethin', isn't it?"

"Now that is impressive," Kyle spoke up. "Finally a set of ears that rivals yours, El Presidente."

Max shot a look at him. "You know, Isabel does have my costume all picked out, but… if it's okay with you, and only if it's okay with you, I'd really like to share with my good friend Kyle." He turned the hat in his hands, fingertips brushing over the obscenely large ears poking out from the sides of it. "I know he's not an actual elf, but, I think Santa would probably be willing to make him an honorary elf for Christmas on the Lake, don't you?"

She smiled brightly and turned to look at Isabel. "Would Santa do that?"

Isabel could practically feel the negative energy pouring off of Kyle at that moment. "Well… I tell you what. I'll definitely check on that because that hat is too special to miss the big event."

Kyle glared at her. "I'm not worthy of that hat."

Max snickered. "Oh, Kyle, no one is more worthy of that hat than you."

Michael shifted and his eyes moved around the room, slowly checking on everyone and noting where they were. Edward was passed out in the recliner, sleeping soundly while conversation flowed around him. Travis had excused himself a while ago to go and check on the reindeer, giving his sister a little more time to enjoy the warmth of the house. The boys had taken off to play a video game for a bit before bed and Maggie of course, was busy working out her busy elf schedule with Isabel.

_Time to get this show on the road,_ he thought. He gave Kyle a pointed look before he turned to brush a brief kiss to Maria's cheek. He eased his hand from hers and stood to stretch, faking an impressive yawn before dropping his hands to his sides again. "Time for Santa's elves, wranglers, assistants, and elf helpers to get some sleep," he said, his tone leaving no room for argument.

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Kyle could feel them staring at him as he dropped down on the loveseat, still bundled in his winter gear because it was so freaking cold in the cabin. His first stop upon arrival had been the thermostat, but it was doing little to break the chill. _Break the chill,_ he snorted silently. Nothing was going to help the cold front that had settled over the cabin. No wonder Julia had suggested he and Isabel sleep up at the main house for the night. _With these temperatures about the only resident it would be fit for would be Frosty the Snowman._ _Or maybe the Snow Bumble._ That thought hit him when Michael started to move through the rooms restlessly, his movements slowed considerably by the bulky outerwear he was still wearing.

Isabel watched him as he played with the remote, certain that he probably had no idea it was even in his hand. Without even realizing it she started to mimic his movements, the pendant on her necklace rasping against the chain as she drew it back and forth. His nerves were stretched thin even though he tried to hide it. His nightmare played over and over in her mind and she could only imagine how terrifying his new abilities were to him. She understood how important it was for them to know what he could do and she knew their situation only added more pressure. No matter how much she wished they could take things at a pace that was comfortable for him she knew it wasn't possible.

"Kyle, do you remember when I started to develop my powers?" Liz asked as she released Max's hand to move closer to her friend.

He glanced up at her, his right hand in constant motion as he flipped the remote over and over. "Yeah." He chuckled and it sounded strained. "Kinda hard to forget that."

"You supported me through that whole thing. We're all here, Kyle, we'll get you through this."

Maria nodded. "I know this's scary…" she trailed off when he shot a baleful glance at her. "Terrifying?" Another look, this one bordering on a glare. "Um, intimidating?" That earned her a derisive snort. "Okay, I can't think up an appropriate word to describe masculine fear at the moment, but what I was trying to say is that it's gonna be alright."

"Uh-huh, and if I don't come back? What happens if I end up traveling through the alien version of the Twilight Zone?"

"You kinda know what you can do," Liz reassured him, "so maybe your power somehow allows you to connect to an object, place, or person you know."

"You said you were trying to meditate, right?" Maria asked. "You let your mind go blank and then you started to think about…?"

He shrugged helplessly. "That's the thing! I'm not sure. I don't recall actively thinking about bein' back home in our kitchen, so I don't know if that's what happened."

"What about after?" Liz sat on the arm of the loveseat next to him. "Any idea what brought you back?"

"Sheer panic," he responded with a shrug. "I mean, it was so real. I could see Dad, I could feel that damn loose tile rocking under my boot, I could smell his five-alarm chili, and when he saw me he looked shocked."

Maria glanced up when Michael shifted and she realized he had stopped pacing, a sure sign that he was at the end of his patience. "Kyle, do you remember that time when everyone back home disappeared? We were all alone outside of town at the 'Welcome to Roswell' sign and Liz had just disappeared right in front of us? You remember that huge Skin guy that attacked us?"

Michael frowned as he listened to her recounting the story. _Where had he been when that had happened?_

Kyle shrugged. "Yeah, I remember." He remembered turning the Skin to dust and then disappearing into the great unknown right after. He had no memory of where he had been, of how long he had been gone, all he could remember was that for that brief time he simply hadn't existed. He swallowed hard. He didn't want to just fade from existence again. Maybe their lives weren't ideal but that didn't mean he was ready to just let it go.

"We made it, Kyle," Maria said quietly. "We survived that and we'll survive this. Just try and see if you can do it again. You're not alone in this. We're here and we won't let you get lost. Maybe try to concentrate on your dad or your house back home and let's see what happens."

"And if it's a one-way ticket and I don't return to my current position as Assistant to the Christmas Nazi?"

"You will," she said, her voice insistent. "And if worst comes to worst Isabel can dreamwalk you."

"No centerfolds being fed chocolate cake and no towel boys," Isabel muttered.

"Okay, Kyle's starting to feel a bit like a trained monkey and he's not a trained monkey." He rolled his head from side to side, the sound of vertebrae popping into place making the girls wince. He linked his hands together and cracked his knuckles and Liz got up to move away from the sound. He was attempting to relax but between the cold and the tension humming inside of him that was an impossible feat.

Maria watched him for a moment before speaking up. "Is there anything we can get for you that'd make this any easier?"

"Maybe a life-size statue of Buddha would help," Max offered, taking a step back when all his comment earned him was twin glares from his sister and his wife. "Or not."

"Lay off, Max," Isabel insisted. "He's been through enough without your smartass comments."

"Valenti, we've gotta know what you can do," Michael said, the words ringing through the cabin like a directive rather than a request.

He slouched down further into the cushions and dropped his head back to stare at the ceiling as he released a pent-up breath. "Okay already, I get it," he said sharply. He focused on calming his breathing and inhaled shakily. "The things I do for my friends."

The room fell silent as they all stopped to watch him and after a moment Michael resumed his pacing but his gaze never moved from Kyle.

He shifted his position slightly, straightening up and closing his eyes as he forced his mind to go blank while he cleared his thoughts. Once he had pushed everything else aside he formed a picture of his dad in his head and slowly the scene began to fill itself in as the living room came into focus. His heart started to race as the feeling of being pushed underwater began to come over him and his expression revealed that panic.

Maria moved to sit next to him, watching him carefully and wondering if they could stop whatever was happening to him if they needed to. His breathing began to increase and behind his closed eyelids his eyes were moving rapidly. He reached out blindly as if he was grasping for something to anchor him and without thinking Maria lifted her hand.

"Maria, no!" Michael shouted as he realized what her intention was but it was too late. Her hand wrapped around Kyle's and as soon as she touched him they vanished from sight.


	51. Chapter 51

**Part 51**

Jim Valenti wasn't a man prone to pacing. But pace he did. Up and down, back and forth, any direction his feet carried him. He was a man who worked things out in his head, rationally, focused, and without falling back on nervous behaviors. But this involved his son and that threw rational right out the proverbial window. He hadn't been able to rest since Kyle had appeared in the kitchen, trying to remember everything about the younger man as he had stood there, his expression a mix of hope, relief, fear, and confusion.

"Jim."

He turned his head to look at the woman sitting in his living room. He had almost forgotten she was there. He had gone to see her only after his shift had started that morning, stopping in at her shop to ask her to stop by in the evening. As the days had passed and weeks had turned into months, the eyes on them had started to slowly withdraw from their small town. They operated under the assumption that they were still being watched, knowing it was too risky to think otherwise. Their children's lives were at stake and they were careful when they met, spoke, made phone calls, or communicated in any way.

He had maintained communication with Agent Duff and she had provided him with the necessary equipment to perform regular sweeps of all their residences and places of employment. She had filtered information to him when she was able to and thanks to her help they knew their children had narrowly escaped the agents tracking them on more than one occasion. She couldn't give them any real information about them because she had no way of knowing how they were holding up under the pressure of living on the run.

Just that morning he had swept the house again and the device hadn't registered evidence of any surveillance equipment. He hadn't slept since seeing his boy standing in the kitchen, afraid to leave the house in case he showed up again. He was beginning to think he had imagined the whole thing and had even ended his shift early, claiming he didn't feel well and needed to go home. No one had questioned him because after hours of walking the floor, staring at the spot Kyle had stood in for barely more than a breath, he looked like he could be coming down with the flu.

"I saw him," he said quietly. "He was here."

Amy Deluca sat sideways on the couch, her right leg tucked beneath her and her chin resting in her hand. "I believe you, Jim."

"He stood right there in the kitchen. He looked at me, called out to me, and just as he took a step towards me he disappeared."

She bit her lip to keep from asking a bunch of questions that he didn't have the answers to. His son had only been there for a moment, only uttered a single word, so she knew pressuring him for answers would only complicate the situation. "That isn't a power or ability that any of them possess, is it?"

He shook his head as he retraced his steps. "No, not that I'm aware of. Max heals, Isabel dreamwalks, Michael blows things up, and Liz can teleport or project her image, I'm not very clear on her ability."

"And she developed that ability because Max healed her, right?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I think it was a couple years after he…" His steps slowed and he stared at her. "He healed Kyle."

"So you think maybe he's developing some sort of alien ability?"

"It would make sense and the timeframe would be about right." He wondered what it was that determined the kind of power they developed. Was it something that drew on the person's inner strengths? Maybe all of that meditating Kyle had been doing was finally going to pay off. He planted his hands on his hips and turned to look at the Christmas tree he had put up recently and his eyes took on a faraway look. "He's lost weight," he murmured quietly.

Amy swallowed hard at the concern that was so visible on his unguarded features. She could only imagine that if she were to look at herself in the mirror she would see the same thing reflected back at her. "They're…" she trailed off because whatever she was going to say was either going to be an empty platitude or something to fill the emptiness around them. "I'm sure they're doing the best they can, Jim."

He drew himself up to his full height and drew in a deep breath that he expelled loudly. "Yeah, I know." He reached out and plucked one of the plastic branches. He could still remember that Christmas with Tess, could still hear his son telling her that he used their tree to dry his socks rather than bother dragging it in the house to be decorated. He was a cop, he should've seen through her lies. He was trained to see past the facades people presented but she had slipped past his radar and he had invited evil into his home.

She could see the self-recrimination slipping into his expression. "Jim, don't go there." She stood and crossed the room to stand next to the tree, reaching up to take his hand. "She wasn't your average criminal and there's no way you could've known just how devious she was. What she was able to do, getting into people's heads and controlling their thoughts…" her teeth ground together as she recalled her own brush with the girl. Jim had been there to help her when the memories had started to return and the hours spent held hostage inside the UFO Center began to surface.

He squeezed her hand in an attempt to pull her away from the negative thoughts. "I noticed you put a tree up when I drove by the other day."

She nodded. "Maria's always loved Christmas and I just couldn't bear the thought of not having one even though she won't…"

"Why don't we go in the kitchen and have a slice of that coconut cream pie you brought over? I'll even make a fresh pot of coffee."

She smiled and nodded, falling into step beside him as they walked into the kitchen. They worked in companionable silence and as they sat across from each other a short while later they let the sounds of water sizzling and snapping from the coffee pot fill the air around them. "You know, when Maria was little and I was getting the shop started I dragged her everywhere with me." She took a sip of her coffee and then turned the mug between her hands. "Later, when she got older I was busy with work, in and out of town all the time and she was busy with school and working at the Crashdown, and somewhere along the way we started to spend so much time apart."

Jim sighed and rubbed his forehead. "I know what you mean. I was right here and half the time I was so wrapped up in work that I just didn't see my own son. He was growing up right in front of me and I missed it." He smiled crookedly. "I never would've thought it'd take aliens to make me open my eyes." He shook his head. "There were times when he seemed to take on the parental role because I just," he laughed gruffly and pointed at his head, "I wasn't here."

"I know what you mean. Sometimes I wonder if I raised Maria or it was the other way around." She sighed. "Sometimes I think we raised each other."

He watched her as she toyed with a small box she had been carrying around for months. It always seemed to appear when they were talking about Maria. "There is an advantage to having that partner in your life when you have kids." He lifted his mug and tapped the edge against hers as they drank in agreement, pausing when they heard a quiet sound from the living room. He frowned, wondering if another of the ornaments had fallen off of the tree to shatter and decorate the skirt below.

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Kyle barely registered the sound of fragile glass breaking as he reached out to stabilize Maria when she stumbled. He wasn't as disoriented as he had been the first time this had happened but he could tell their trip had thrown her off balance.

Maria's right hand covered her mouth as nausea rolled through her stomach and dinner threatened to make a reappearance. "Oh, my God, Kyle, what just happened?" she rasped.

He looked around the room, taking in the familiar furniture that was comfortably worn in, the few family photographs scattered around, and the Christmas decorations hung haphazardly with Dad's special touch. "I think… I think we're in my house." He shifted back and glanced down when what was left of the ornament they had knocked off of the tree crunched loudly beneath the heel of his boot. He lifted his head to look at her and turned to stare at the sock tangled up in one of the branches of the Christmas tree. "Make that I'm certain we're in my house."

"Wait… you mean like we're really there? Here? We're in Roswell standing in your house," she clarified, forgetting about the nausea.

Kyle nearly jumped out of his skin when she moved to pull her hand free of his, her intent to begin an exploration of their surroundings clear. "Whoa! Do not let go of my hand," he said emphatically. "I go back without you and El Capitan won't hesitate to line me up in front of a one-hybrid firing squad." He squeezed her hand as a reminder to hold on. "I'm not ready to meet Buddha in person, got it?"

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Tension rolled off of Michael in waves as he did his best to wear a rut in the floor. He paced the area where Kyle and Maria had been when they had disappeared, his eyes locked on the spot where his girlfriend had been sitting. He had waited for them to rematerialize for several minutes after they had vanished into thin air but when the spot had remained vacant he had begun to prowl.

Isabel had known what to expect from Kyle's description of events but she was still shaken at witnessing it for herself. She wondered if he had been able to reach his destination with his unintended companion, if his newfound abilities would allow for the extra passenger or if it would have derailed his focus in any way. She shot a glance at Michael before looking at her brother. "We shouldn't have pushed him."

"We had to know – "

She shook her head. "You have no idea how much this situation's freaked him out, Max. He's not like us, he wasn't born like this. I mean, we were, and it took time for us to get used to being… different."

Max rubbed his hands over his face as he glanced at Liz and he turned to follow her gaze across the room. The tic in Michael's jaw seemed to match his agitated steps and he could see the weight of his decision to push Kyle written in his stiff posture. His fear for Maria was palpable though he tried to hide it. "Iz, he's gonna be okay," he said as his attention shifted to his sister once more. "He said the last time it lasted for maybe a minute before he found himself right back here in the cabin."

"And it's been more than a minute, Max," she said insistently. "Do you see him?" She began to fidget with her necklace as she stared at the loveseat. "God," she whispered, "first Grant, then Alex, and now…" her lower lip trembled in spite of her attempt to control the show of weakness. "I can't lose Kyle too."

Michael whirled around to face her and his voice had an edge to it when he spoke. "No one's losing anyone here. That isn't an option."

Liz straightened up, visibly pulling herself together. "You guys, let's just think about this for a minute, okay?"

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Jim and Amy stood frozen as the quiet voices from the living room filtered in and they stared at each other in shock. He grabbed her hand when she started to run from the kitchen and he lifted a finger to his lips in a bid for silence. He had seen too much over the past few years to just assume that what they were hearing was real. Keeping himself strategically between Amy and their unexpected 'guests' proved to be a challenge because the woman was constantly in motion as she tried to get around him. His knees locked as he entered the living room and she slammed into his back.

"Kyle?" He barely kept from reaching up to rub his eyes to make sure what he was seeing was real.

"Maria?" Amy cried out, almost afraid to hope that her daughter was really standing in front of her. "Maria, oh my God, honey, is it really you?"

Maria's eyes widened when she saw her mom pushing to get past Jim and she bolted across the room, dragging Kyle with her as he struggled to maintain his hold on her hand.

Kyle tripped over his feet and cursed the bulky gear he was wearing because it made it more difficult to move around. He remained silent when she launched herself into her mother's embrace and he hurried to move before she could rip his arm out of its socket.

Amy leaned back but was reluctant to release her daughter, afraid that if she did she would simply disappear again. "But… how?" she asked, her gaze moving from Maria to Kyle and back again.

"Son?" Jim asked quietly.

"It was me, Dad," Kyle spoke up. "I'm the one who got us here." He held up the hand that was tightly wrapped around Maria's. "She hitched a ride accidentally. This's pretty new to me. The first time it happened it was unintentional and it may have lasted a minute, tops." He shrugged when Dad reached out to cup his hands around his neck, his blue eyes taking in every nuance of his features. "It's really me, Dad." He lifted his free hand to wrap it around his dad's wrist. "I don't know how long we'll be able to stay."

"Understood." The older man shook his head. "I'm just glad to know I wasn't seeing things the other day."

Kyle's eyes traveled over his dad, taking in the loss of weight and the eyes that seemed set deeper and filled with shadows. He was opening his mouth to ask how he was when Dad suddenly pulled him into a tight embrace.

"Merry Christmas, Son," Jim whispered raggedly. "It's so good to see you." He leaned back and his hands clenched tightly around handfuls of the coat Kyle wore. "We need to talk. I know your time is limited but it's important."

He felt the familiar feeling of being pushed beneath a wave and he gripped Maria's hand harder, unaware of her startled yelp.

"Ow!" Maria's head snapped to the side to look at Kyle. She could see his expression and could only assume that he was losing his grip on their current position. "No, no, no, no, no, Kyle. We're not ready to leave yet." She released her mom and turned to face him. "Look at me." His eyes locked on her and she nodded. "Breathe with me, okay? Breathe in slowly, hold it for a moment, and slowly – "

"Somehow this feels like a Lamaze class," he muttered but followed her instructions.

She rolled her eyes at him. "Just let whatever it is that's trying to pull you back pass."

He nodded at Maria when the feeling began to pass as he relaxed and he breathed a sigh of relief. "Dad…"

"I know we don't have much time, Kyle, so we'd best say as much as we can." He waited for his son to nod before continuing. "We're not safe here. We've been under close surveillance until recently. It has eased a bit but we routinely sweep our homes and businesses and we're careful to monitor our conversations and when and where we meet."

"We suspected as much."

"We intend to leave. We have a plan in place and we're just waiting until we have the details nailed down."

Kyle glanced between his dad and Maria's mom. "We?"

"I'd rather not list everyone. Even though I swept the place earlier today I don't wanna risk mentioning someone who isn't on their list. They have enough people they can use against you."

"Okay, I understand. You've included Grandpa, right? He doesn't need to be in that place, Dad, and if we can get him someplace safe…" He frowned when his dad swallowed with difficulty. "What?"

"Son…" his chest tightened and he shook his head.

"No." His vision blurred and he dropped his gaze to the floor just as his dad's arms came around him in a crushing grip.

"Kyle, I went to visit with him every day. You were with me every time."

"When?" He shook his head. That croaking sound couldn't be his voice.

"I'm sorry to hit you with this," he apologized, seeing how hard his son was taking the news. "His heart gave out in September." He nodded as they pulled themselves together, knowing they could run out of time at any moment. "With this ability and seeing that you were able to bring someone along for the ride, maybe we'll be able to meet at some point. I need to talk to Max."

Kyle straightened up and wiped his cheeks with the back of his hand. "Okay, where?"

Jim glanced at Maria who was safely ensconced in her mother's embrace and then back at his son. "Where I took them when we rescued Max. He'll know where."

He nodded. "I'll tell him. When?"

"You set it up and when you guys can manage it, come and get me."

Amy brushed her daughter's hair back as she tried so hard to hold her tears at bay. Relief at seeing her little girl, at knowing she was alive, and the chance to hold her again were causing her emotions to run in a dozen different directions. She knew what Jim was saying was important but she trusted him to relay what needed to be said and concentrated solely on her daughter. "I've missed you so much."

"Mom…" Maria hugged her mom tightly, knowing that at any moment they could be pulled back to the cabin and torn from her mother's arms.

Her forehead knitted together in question as she put just enough distance between them to let her eyes scan over the heavy winter coat Maria was wearing.

"I can't tell you where we are, Mom," she said regretfully when she saw the questions in the older woman's eyes. "We're in a good place for now."

"How're you doing, Maria? I mean, really."

Maria swallowed hard. "I'm doing good. I miss you… I even miss Sean. But don't worry, I'm okay."

"And Michael?"

She sighed. "Michael, he's been keeping us safe."

"That's not what I meant, Maria."

"No, I know, but it's true, and up until now we haven't had much time together. You know, just us. We're together, but it isn't like we were before. I… Mom, I hurt him so badly when I broke up with him. I think he's forgiven me but I'm scared that he doesn't trust me like he used to."

Amy looked at her daughter, drinking in her presence and marveling at the opportunity to have this moment. "Maria, I know more about what was going on back then now that I've had the chance to read the journal that Liz sent. It's clear that Michael loves you. I knew that without ever reading what she had written. He stayed for you, honey. He'll come around."

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Max pulled Liz closer and glanced at Isabel before sneaking a look at the cheap lighthouse-shaped clock on the wall. It hung just a few steps from where Michael was making his turn to retrace his steps through the room. Liz had tried her best to be calm and rational as she attempted to talk her way through what had happened but had only succeeded in talking herself into a hole as Michael shot down everything she had to say. She had fallen silent and sought comfort in her husband's arms, leaving Michael to prowl the room and burn holes in the walls with his glare.

He caught the slightest pause in Michael's steps, letting him know he had been made by his friend. Seventeen minutes. Only seventeen minutes had passed since Maria and Kyle had pulled their disappearing act. They had no way of knowing if they had reached their destination, they had no real understanding of Kyle's abilities, and it was wearing on all of them.

If Liz was right and they were actually with Kyle's dad in Roswell then seventeen minutes wasn't much in the grand scheme of things. There were so many things he wished he could tell his dad. And his mom especially, there were so many things he wanted to be able to tell her if he only had the chance. Seventeen minutes would fly by in a heartbeat if he were home again. He had accepted that he would never see home again, had toyed with the reality that he may never see his parents again, and he had learned to live with that ache in his chest.

Michael's repetitive, heavy footfalls brought him back to the present and he realized just how insufferably slow those same seventeen minutes would pass if it were Liz that had disappeared with Kyle. _One man's paradise was another man's hell,_ he thought as he pulled Liz closer before speaking. "We'll give them five more minutes. If they don't come back by then we'll go after them."

Michael stopped in his tracks and turned to face him, his eyes hard and harboring a mix of emotions he didn't dare give name to.

"And just how do you suggest we go after them?" Isabel asked, her sharp voice underlined with a worry she couldn't disguise.

"With everything we have," Max answered but his gaze stayed locked on Michael. "Isabel, you can dreamwalk Kyle." His eyes lowered to focus on his wife. "And Liz can try to reach Maria like she did with me when I was in New York."

Liz nodded against his chest.

"What if that doesn't work?" Fear dominated Isabel's voice this time. "What if we can't reach him?"

Michael's mood shifted from agitated to dangerous in the blink of an eye. His footsteps became shorter, his pace increasing, and it indicated just how close he was to losing it. Time seemed to slow down as Max watched his friend, his brother, draw himself up to his full height. The anger rolled off of him in waves as his eyes darted around the room and landed on the small wastepaper basket on the floor by the kitchen. He directed a vicious kick at it and everyone in the room flinched when it slammed into the wall before landing on the floor.

"We do this now!" he demanded loudly. "We're not waitin' another minute without us doin' somethin' to bring them back." He swallowed hard and his posture was rigid as he pulled his hands free of his pockets. They dangled loosely as his sides as he brought his gaze to rest on his friend.

Max was awed by the control Michael was exhibiting, amazed that the only thing in the room that had been affected was the one thing that had been targeted. Nothing else had been disrupted or damaged. He lifted his eyes and nodded as his gaze locked with Michael's. He released his hold on Liz and took the few steps necessary to bring him close to the other man.

"She's coming back to us, Michael, and so is Kyle. If Isabel and Liz can't get to them, we have the healing stones. We'll use them to try and amplify their powers."

He had years of experience reading Michael and he could see the fractional relaxing in his stiff posture, could see his pupils reappear as the rings of his irises began to retract. He reached out and placed his right hand on Michael's shoulder and then turned to look at his sister.

"Isabel?" he queried in a soft voice.

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Kyle tugged on Maria's hand. "I hate to interrupt, but…" he waved their joined hands apologetically. "We need to give going back a shot." He was silent as Amy nodded at him and then focused on her daughter once more before pulling her into her arms. His gaze dropped to her hand and he caught a flash of something red as she slipped something into Maria's coat pocket.

"Be safe, honey. You and Michael, you take care of each other." She sniffled and smiled shakily as she took a step back and reached up to brush the tears from her cheeks. "And you tell that boy his family misses him."

Maria nodded, unable to speak. A part of her wanted so badly to hold onto her mom and never let go but she knew Kyle was right and it was time for them to go back. She had no idea how long they had been gone but it felt like it had only been a few minutes. "I have to go, Mom," she whispered raggedly.

Amy swallowed hard, forcing down the lump in her throat and nodding wordlessly. She could only imagine what her only daughter's life was like and it hurt to know that she couldn't be there for her. "I love you, Maria."

"I love you too, Mom." A single tear forced its way out, escaping in spite of her intention to hold it at bay. She suddenly felt as if she was being pushed under water and the feeling of nausea intensified as everything around them disappeared.

"Maria!"

Jim's hands shot out, grabbing Amy before she could fall as she lunged for her daughter just as she and Kyle disappeared. He pulled her to him and held her tightly as he stared at the spot where their children had stood. His own vision blurred as his gaze dropped to the floor and the small puddle of water surrounding a rapidly melting clump of snow that had fallen off of his son's boot.

"They were really here," she whispered as she leaned back to look up at him. She turned to follow his gaze and she gave in to the tears pushing to be free. "They're alive, Jim." She looked up at him. "Wherever they are, they're alright."

_For now,_ he thought. He drew in a shaky breath and nodded as he shifted to rest his forehead against hers. "I don't think I wanna be alone tonight," he admitted gruffly. "Stay?"

She gave him a watery smile. "Yes," she answered simply.

Isabel squeezed her eyes shut and inhaled slowly when her brother addressed her. She was mentally kicking herself for not trying to develop her abilities, to sharpen them so that she could use them at will. She had used her abilities on a few occasions but she had avoided putting much focus on them. Why hadn't she just made the effort? She sighed. Tess. She avoided anything that reminded her of Tess and honing those abilities took her right back to every single time she had used them and the other girl had been there.

Yeah, she had dreamwalked Max when he was in the White Room, drugged to the gills, but how much of that had been her and how much of it had been Tess? If she thought about it she could still feel the sensation of Tess there, guiding her… manipulating her. She had experienced it again when Tess had talked her through prying into Pierce's head. It had scared her then, and it still scared her now, to think that if she pushed to try and develop those abilities that somehow that gift would begin to resemble Tess'. The last thing she wanted was to be anything like the monster that had betrayed them and killed Alex.

"You could never be like her, Isabel."

She released a shaky breath and turned slowly, her stressed features relaxing slightly when she saw Alex leaning back against the kitchen counter.

"Isabel?" Liz walked over to her, easily reading the fear in her eyes. Fear that she knew mirrored her own. "I'm here with you. I'll try to reach Maria while you're trying to connect with Kyle. Maybe we should do this together, like when we reached out to Max in New York," she suggested. She watched the taller girl struggle to come to a decision and she tipped her head to one side as she remembered something Isabel had said to Kyle before he had disappeared. She couldn't help the quiet snort and she shook her head when her sister-in-law's sharp gaze landed on her. "Um, so I was wondering what you meant when you told Kyle 'No centerfolds being fed chocolate cake and no towel boys.'?"

The corners of her lips slowly lifted as she remembered facilitating Kyle's little fantasy with Jodi Ann. They had both been awake at the time. It had happened so easily, she had connected with Kyle so effortlessly. Her forehead wrinkled as she wondered if it was because he had been right next to her in her room or if it was because… _What if it had been so easy not because of proximity, but because it was him?_

Michael cleared his throat when he caught the expression on her face that indicated something was going on behind her dark eyes. "Iz?" he said hoarsely.

Isabel turned her head to look at Michael. He was leaning up against a wall, his tall frame stiff with tension. She nodded to let him know she had things under control before glancing at Liz. "It means it's gonna be okay. I should be able to reach him." She led Liz into Kyle's room, intent on finding something of his to hold onto when she heard something fall in the living area followed by Michael's startled shout.

"Maria!"

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As fast as the living room of the home he had grown up in blinked out of sight, the living room of the cabin he shared with Isabel materialized around them. Beyond the initial feeling of being pushed under water and the feeling of falling backwards that immediately followed, there were no other sensations. _At least not for him,_ he thought as he glanced at Maria. She looked a little green around the gills and he absentmindedly hoped that if she blew chow it wouldn't be on him.

Even though he knew exactly where they were and that they were safe he still almost jumped out of his skin when Michael's voice bellowed through the cabin. He waved his free hand in a bid for silence and with his other he squeezed Maria's hand to draw her gaze to him. "Hey, we made it back. We're okay."

She swallowed hard and nodded, quickly stilling the movement when it felt like every single bite she'd had at dinner was lodged in her throat. _We're okay, we're okay, we're okay._ She chanted the mantra over and over in her head but it did nothing to settle her stomach. She was just barely holding it together when she was suddenly pulled to her feet and she inhaled sharply to control the urge to give in to her nauseated stomach's insistent demands.

"What the hell were you thinking?!" Michael demanded as he ran his hands over her to be certain she was alright. "And you!" His heated glare pinned Kyle to the cushions. "You just took off with her!"

"Me?!" Kyle yelled as he shot to his feet. _Okay, maybe not the smartest move,_ he decided when it made his head swim for a moment. He could see the concern for Maria in the other man's angry features but it did nothing to calm the emotions that were churning in his gut.

"Kyle didn't do anything, Michael!" Maria tried to pull free of his tight grip and it infuriated her when he didn't release her. "I'm the one who – "

"I know what you did! I saw it plain as day, Maria!" Fear, anger, the hole it would leave in his chest if he lost her, all of it came together and pushed him even closer to the edge. "What if he'd lost you? What if you'd gotten disconnected or whatever and you'd gotten stranded there? Huh? Did you even think of that? You'd be trapped with a target on your back and you wouldn't have any backup!"

_And there it was,_ she thought miserably. Her head was spinning lightly, her stomach was threatening to revolt, and Michael was throwing the reminder that she was the weak link in her face once again. Maybe he didn't mean it the way she took it, but she couldn't help correlating his fears with her inability to protect herself or anyone else.

"You can't just do shit like that without thinking! Do you have any idea what – "

Maria tried to shake his hand off again and when he didn't let go she jerked it free. She was debating between telling him off or going and sitting down to let her stomach calm. When he reached for her again she took a step back and shook her head. "I'm perfectly capable of making my own decisions and I can take care of myself. I did it before all of the craziness started and I can still…" Her rant was abruptly interrupted when her stomach made the decision for her. She slapped her hand over her mouth and sprinted for the bathroom.

Liz and Isabel had come out of the smaller bedroom as soon as they heard Michael's shout but they had remained silent as his fear and concern blinded him to Maria's nauseous state. She watched Maria dart from the room and she quickly moved to intercept him when his intention to follow her became clear.

"Get out of my way, Liz," he growled menacingly.

There was a time when he had intimidated her. And even though she knew him so much better now and she understood him to a certain degree thanks to Maria, she had to admit that there were times when he was still intimidating. This was one of those times but her concern for her best friend overrode everything else. "Let me take care of her, Michael."

His jaw clenched tightly and he gave a single sharp nod before stepping back and clearing the way. As the door closed behind Liz he jerked around to face Kyle, paying no heed to his state as he sat on the loveseat, his head resting in the palm of his hand. "What the fuck happened?"

Isabel had been watching Kyle, concerned by the slump to his shoulders and the dull gleam in his eyes. "Michael, back off." She snapped the order off without so much as a glance at him, her focus concentrated on the silent man slouched into the loveseat cushions. She didn't know what had happened while they had been gone, had no real understanding of what his ability was beyond what little he had told them, and she wondered if while they had been gone they had experienced time in the same manner. Did time pass the same once he had reached his destination? Had it only been a matter of minutes for them?

"Did you make it to Roswell?" Max asked as he shot a quick glance at Michael to let him know he'd handle the questions.

"Yeah," Kyle mumbled. "Yeah, pictured myself in our living room and," he snapped his fingers, "there we were." He couldn't even muster up enough energy to explain to Michael that Maria was just nauseated from the quick jump through what, space and time? He didn't know. He had no idea how this ability worked, he just knew he could think of a place and he was there. It was why he had imagined the living room this time instead of the kitchen, just to see if he would land there.

"And you saw your dad?" He tamped down the jealousy that reared its ugly head. He didn't know how their powers developed or how it was decided who got which ones, but what he'd give to have that one just for a brief time.

Michael glanced over his shoulder when he heard the exhaust fan come to life in the bathroom. It took an effort to force his mind back to the matter at hand but he knew he needed to know what had happened.

"Yeah, I saw him." He decided to leave Amy's presence there out of the current conversation and let Maria bring it up if and when she felt like it. It wasn't really relevant and he didn't feel like getting any deeper into this if he didn't have to. "They're bein' watched." He lifted his head when he felt Isabel's hand settle on his shoulder and he reached up to cover her hand for a moment, letting it fall away when even that small move felt like too much of an exertion.

"Has something happened?" Michael demanded, straightening up and crossing his arms over his chest.

"Nothin' more than the usual. He just knows they're bein' watched and he and the rest of your parents are workin' on a plan to get outta Dodge. He said they've gotta nail down some details and then they're gonna pull a disappearing act." He rubbed his hands over his face before he raised his head to look directly at Max. "He said to tell you he wants to meet with you."

Max scratched his neck where the zipper of his coat was brushing against his skin. "Where?"

"Uh, he didn't say exactly." He sat up. "Wherever you guys went after you rescued Max from Agent Pierce. He said you'd know the place."

Max and Michael exchanged a look. "Yeah, we know the place."

"Would that even be safe for you?" Isabel asked. "I mean, you've never been there so how do you see yourself someplace you've never been?"

Kyle shook his head. "I don't know." He slumped back against the cushions again. "I guess we'll have to try it an' find out. Maybe holdin' El Presidente's hand will connect us and that'll act as navigation." He frowned and rubbed his eyes. "How long were we gone?"

"Seventeen and a half minutes," Michael muttered. "When does he wanna meet?"

Kyle shrugged. "I don't know. He said to set up the time and let him know." _There you go, folks,_ he thought. _Kyle Valenti, intergalactic messenger at your service. Continental messenger?_ He sighed and shook his head. He'd think about it later when he didn't have a dozen different things bouncing around that he couldn't quite get hold of.

He nodded in approval. "The silver mine in Gallinas. Makes sense. There's nothin' out there but the mine. How soon – "

"That's enough for tonight," Isabel interrupted, wondering what was weighing so heavily on his mind. "I want all of you out. Now."

"I'm not goin' any-damn-where without Maria," Michael insisted stubbornly.

She was opening her mouth to argue with him when the door to the bathroom opened and a moment later Maria and Liz walked into the living room. Maria looked a bit shaky on her feet and when Michael immediately moved to her she just knew the other girl was going to blow.

"C'mon, Maria," Michael said as he reached for her coat with the intention of closing it up for her. "We'll get you back up to our – "

She pushed his hands away. "Stop it, Michael, I don't need you fussing over me!" She and Liz had talked in the bathroom briefly, but she was still feeling inferior and she hated it. Why couldn't he understand that she could take care of herself? "I'm capable of buttoning my own coat!"

Michael threw his hands up in irritation. "Then button the damn thing," he snapped. "I just thought I'd – "

"Well, don't!" She pushed her way past the others and jerked the door open, stepping out into the freezing cold and slamming the door behind her.

"What the hell's goin' on with her?" he muttered as he hurried to go after her. _Women! If he ever understood them… What the hell was he thinking? He was never gonna understand them!_ He inhaled sharply as the cold wind hit him in the face, making his eyes water. He jerked the door closed behind him and took two steps before he tripped over a log that had rolled off of the pile stacked to the side of the door. He turned the air blue with every curse word he could think of as he struck out across the frozen ground in pursuit of his girlfriend.


	52. Chapter 52

**Author's Note: **Some dialog in this part was borrowed from the Roswell Season Two episodes The End of The World, How the Other Half Lives and the Roswell Season Three episode Ch-Ch-Changes.

**Part 52**

Michael chased after Maria as she stalked through the snow, her angry footsteps seeming to give her feet traction. _He'd almost be willing to pay good money to see her slip and fall on her ass right about now,_ he thought uncharitably. She could be bullheaded about things and as much as that pissed him off he understood it… when he knew what the hell was going on. He wasn't even sure why she was pissed off at him – he hadn't done anything wrong!

There was no rhyme or reason to women. Overlook some weird mood, a new hairstyle, or a new outfit and you were in serious trouble because you just weren't sensitive enough. But try not even knowing what it was that set them off in the first place and what happened? You were tagged and moved to the head of the line for castration. He shook his head. Upset, pissed off, angry, sad… how the hell was a guy supposed to keep up with a woman's quicksilver moods?

Well, she wasn't handing his balls to him on a silver platter. He and Maria were evenly matched, they could go toe to toe in a fight and once the dust settled they'd either both still be standing or they'd both be on the floor, but regardless they put everything they had into it. He almost smirked. Almost. But he was too pissed off to acknowledge any humor in the situation.

His right foot slipped on a slick patch of snow and he made a weird jump-hop combination off to the side where the snow was deeper to regain his footing. "Maria, damn it, would you just slow down before you hurt yourself?" he snapped.

"I'm not the one who can't walk!" she bit out, paying no attention to the ground beneath her feet as she forged ahead. She winced against the wind and tiny bits of snow hitting her in the face. She whirled around to face him. "And don't tell me – " The shouted words ended on a short scream that was caught and whisked away on the wind when her right boot came down and her feet started to go out from under her.

Michael lunged for her just as she threw her hands up and latched onto a low branch hanging overhead. The snow piled on the branch was upset by the woman hanging from it and before he could reach her he was coated with snow from several branches. The unexpected snowfall made him draw up short as the cold crystals slipped beneath the collar of his coat and he just stood there and stared at her for several icy breath-stealing moments. He finally pulled himself together and reached for his girlfriend who was bobbing slightly as the branch bore the brunt of her weight.

"I told you I can take care of myself!" she growled and released the branch as she righted herself.

"What the hell is your problem?" he snapped.

"The problem is I'm not your problem!"

His eyebrows reached for the sky when she stalked off once again. "What the fuck does that even mean?" he shouted in frustration. He could hear the undercurrent of anger in his tone, could feel the fear that was still skating just beneath the surface of his skin and keeping his nerves on edge, and it only served to ignite his temper once again. He hurried to catch up with her, reaching her just as she faced the front door and started to take off her gloves to search her pockets for the keys.

Without bothering to wait he pressed up against her from behind and reached around her, his right hand making quick work of the lock. He shoved the door open and peered around to make sure things were as they had left them before he unceremoniously pushed her inside. He walked in behind her and slammed the door shut just as she whirled around to face him, her face mottled from a combination of rage and windburn.

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Max kept a close eye on Liz as she stood at the window straining to follow Maria's retreating back as she disappeared into the night. The wind was howling and loose snow was being flung around, obscuring what little view there was. He glanced at his sister and nodded when she gestured to the front door. He didn't miss the look of sympathy that crossed her features when her gaze moved past his wife and he was sure her thoughts were similar to his own.

"Why don't we head on over to our cabin," he suggested as he took her elbow and gently guided her to the door.

She was silent as he took her hand and led her out into the cold, windy night. She squinted and ducked her head against the snow, burrowing closer into her husband's side and shamelessly using him as a shield. She kept going over and over the short conversation she'd had with Maria while they were in the bathroom and she kept coming back to the same conclusion: she was a horrible friend.

Maria had told her about seeing her mom and Kyle's dad and as happy as she was for her friends, she was so jealous that she hadn't been able to see her own parents. She was jealous that they had been given an opportunity to hug their parents and be hugged in return. She missed them and the holidays made that ache worse than normal.

If her life plan had gone according to plan and she had followed her dream of attending Harvard University and pursuing a degree in a field she loved she would've been away at college right now. They would've gone back home for the holidays. They, because in a perfect world it would've been her and Max, finding and making their place in the world. Together. But they were both family-oriented and she knew being with their families for holidays would've been important to both of them.

Max shouldered the door to their cabin open and stomped the snow off of his boots before stepping inside and glancing around. He tugged Liz in behind him and locked the door, hurrying to crank up the heat on the electric fireplace and giving it a little nudge with his powers before going back to help her out of her gear.

He rolled his shoulders back when they were finally free of the cumbersome outerwear. He could feel the sharp pang of disappointment in her as he took her hand again. He didn't turn on any lights, letting the soft patches of light from a couple of strategically-placed nightlights illuminate the way to the bedroom. He crawled into bed behind her and draped his arms around her, shifting to accommodate her when she wiggled around to face him.

Liz wrapped her arms around his waist and her fingers clenched in his shirt as she squeezed her eyes shut and pressed her forehead against his neck. "Amy was there. She got to see her mom, Max," she whispered raggedly.

His eyes closed tightly at the pain in her voice and her tears burned his skin like acid. He didn't know how often they would be able to utilize Kyle's abilities; the guy had been drained when he and Maria had returned. Whether that was from the physical and mental exertion of transporting himself and Maria or more of an emotional exertion from the experience, he didn't know. He knew they would learn and understand in time, but for now he had nothing that might ease his wife's pain.

_Maybe one day,_ he thought. He would wait and see what happened when he and Kyle made contact with Jim at the old Gallinas silver mine. Maybe it would give him a better idea of how safe it was to travel. They had so many things they needed to find out. How many people could Kyle take with him? What would happen if the person or persons traveling with Kyle broke contact? He sighed and rubbed Liz's back, feeling her calm fractionally as she settled more fully into him. He'd think about it later. For now, his focus needed to be here and now.

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Isabel watched the door close behind Max and Liz and she crossed the room to lock it behind them. She observed Kyle, trying to decipher his mood. The last time he had taken one of these trips he had been stressed afterwards, but this wasn't stress. There was a quiet sadness about him and she wasn't sure if it was seeing his dad only to lose him all over again or if there was more to it than that. The last time he hadn't had time to do much more than see Jim before he had reappeared in the cabin, but this time he'd spent seventeen minutes back home, talking to his dad.

She swallowed with difficulty. _What would it be like to be given just seventeen minutes with her parents?_ To be able to see them in person, to know they were okay and to let them know she was okay, and to experience the feeling of love and safety that had always enveloped her when she was with them. She set those thoughts aside when she noticed Kyle's jaw clench repeatedly as he tried to control his emotions. She moved to sit beside him, leaving space between them and hoping her presence would be comfort enough.

She knew him well enough to know he wasn't ready to talk and that when he was she would know it. Kyle didn't talk things to death the way girls had a tendency to do but he was confident enough to talk things out when he needed to. She didn't know if that was some kind of Buddhist thing, some sort of enlightened crap, or if it was just Kyle, but whatever it was it allowed him to handle things without bottling them up. She shoved away the niggling thought that recently he hadn't really been talking to her.

She shivered as the temperature in the room reminded her of why Julia had suggested they stay up at the main house. They still had to get their things together and walk back up to the house. The thought of something hot to drink sounded good but it was just too cold to make anything and it'd be faster to just get their things and hurry up to the house.

Her gaze roamed over the cabin and landed on the doorway to the small room that had been Kyle's since they had been staying there. Most nights he dragged one of the small mattresses down off of the bunks and squeezed it between the doorframes, sleeping there to soak up the warmth from the furnace. He had never said anything but she knew that was why he did it. Her brow furrowed as she realized just how much that bothered her.

He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't even notice when she got up and started gathering some of their things. His eyes followed her without realizing it but his mind was more than sixteen hundred miles away. He wanted to silence his thoughts, to just step outside of his own head for a little while. His head dropped back against the loveseat and eyes that felt like there was a film of gritty sand coating them stared sightlessly at the ceiling.

"C'mon, Kyle, we should go on up to the house," Isabel said once she had tossed some of their things in a bag.

He was moving on autopilot as he got to his feet and reached for the bag she was holding. He was on his way to the door when she got in front of him and stopped him so she could close the fastenings on his coat and pull his hat over his head. He was always a good sport about things but the fact that he didn't even comment on her fussing was just further proof that he needed some space.

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"What the fuck does it mean?!" Maria repeated. Her tone was incredulous, angry, and underlined by a combination of fear and hurt. "Are you seriously asking me that?!" She just stared at him, the venom flowing through her veins momentarily pausing as she took in his appearance. At any other time it would've struck her as funny. He was covered in snowflakes from head to toe, making the tip of his red nose and his crimson ears stand out. But it was his eyes, so piercingly dark that struck her the most.

He held his hands out away from his body, his expression still bordering on the clueless as he waited expectantly. "Well?" he demanded when she remained silent. "Are you gonna enlighten me or should we just stand here and freeze our asses off while you think about it?" He was only pushing the fight but at this point he didn't care. He was sick of trying to figure out what she was thinking. He wasn't a damned mind reader! "What does it mean?" He spoke slowly, enunciating every single word because he knew it would just piss her off even more than she already was.

Her eyes narrowed to thin slits and her right hand sliced the air between them. "It means, Michael," she said, speaking just as deliberately slowly, "that you treat me like I'm the weak link. Like I'm the human, the liability," she spat the word out as if it tasted bad, "that could get us all killed."

His molars were grinding together so hard that pain was radiating down his jaw line and into his chin. His lips curled back over his teeth as his nearly black eyes bored into her. "That's bullshit and you damn well know it, Maria!"

"I'm the only one you ever treat like that! The only one you treat like some fragile piece of glass that's gonna shatter and ruin everything!" She drew in a deep breath. "The only one you're so worried about every time something happens. We get into some dangerous situation and they're not the ones you're all over, making sure they're in one piece, making sure they didn't screw things up, or making sure they're not stupid enough to get themselves into the situation in the first place."

_How the hell had she twisted things around like that?_ he wondered. _Did she even hear the words that were coming out of her own mouth?_ "Do I worry about you when somethin' happens? Hell, yes! Am I all over you makin' sure you're still in one piece when we come out of a dangerous situation? You can bet your ass I am! Am I gonna stand here and apologize because you think I'm wrong? Fuck, no! And don't single yourself out when it comes to screwin' up or doin' somethin' stupid because you know damn well I'm all over their asses about the same damn thing when it happens! You wanna be pissed off at me because I gave a damn when you came back lookin' like you were about to puke your guts out, fine, be pissed off!" He paced around the room, agitated. "Seventeen and a half minutes, Maria. Seventeen and a half minutes that felt like a goddamned eternity because I didn't know where you were or what was happening to you! Do you even understand that?!" he shouted as his fear once more pushed to the surface. "I'm the one that pushed Kyle to see if he could pull his disappearing act again and what the fuck did you do?"

Maria opened her mouth to protest but the words lodged in her throat when he whirled around to face her. The anger and fear in his features made her want to take a step back but her feet remained rooted to the spot. She wasn't afraid of him, just stunned by the force of his emotions.

"You couldn't know what would happen and in the rational part of my brain I know that! But all I knew was one minute you were there and the next second you had fuckin' disappeared. We had no way of knowin' if his last trip was a fluke or if he landed where he did because he has some control over his new powers. No way of knowin' if he would return and if you'd return with him!" His footsteps paused and he stared at her. "Anything could've happened, do you get that? You could've been lost, killed, or trapped in Roswell – if that's even where you were, and I would've had no one to blame but myself."

She could feel the fire in her veins begin to wane as he finished speaking and as she stood there watching him she started to become more aware of their surroundings. Even though they were inside, protected from the biting wind, it was still bitterly cold and she was sure the temperature in the cabin was barely above freezing.

The sudden silence that fell between them seemed to snap them back to reality and Michael shook his head as he turned to the fireplace. His gaze locked on his hands as he stacked logs in the fireplace and set about lighting a fire. He was acutely aware of Maria's quiet footsteps as she retreated into the bathroom and closed the door. She would be back before long. Whatever else happened tonight he knew they would be settling some things that had been hanging between them for too long.

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Kyle trudged through the snow, unaware and uncaring of the cold that found its way past every opening in his winter gear. He and Isabel had been welcomed into the Stevens' home and Julia had suggested they take the futon in the office at Stephanie's insistence. He had let Isabel handle the conversation, too wired to really think up a good reason why the separate couches in the living room would be a better solution.

He had waited until Julia and Edward had left them alone before he told Isabel he was going to take a walk to try and clear his head. She had let him go with nothing more than a request that he be careful. He tried to force the thoughts from his mind, wishing he could seek solace through meditation but not daring to risk being sent somewhere else based on a thought. Buddha was supposed to be there to provide a reprieve from the insanity of his life, not add to it.

Without conscious thought his feet took him across the road and up the drive to the barn on Mr. Tony's property. He reached out and grabbed the door, sliding it open and stepping inside where it was only slightly warmer. He pushed the door closed and turned to lean back against it for a moment, barely registering the way it moved slightly with his weight. His gaze scanned the interior of the barn and settled on the pen holding the four reindeer at the center. He walked up to the pen and stood there, just watching the animals as they milled about.

"You guys don't know how good you have it," he muttered. He reached up to rub Cupid's muzzle when the animal snuffled against his arm. He cradled the reindeer's head in his hands and studied the soft brown eyes, his gaze trailing down to study several scars that were nearly hidden beneath his fur. "Guess you've got your own story, don't you?"

"I think if he could talk his story would make most people cry."

He slowly turned his head to look at Stefanie as she crossed the barn with a box of apples in her hands. "What's his story?"

"Cupid's our miracle, aren't you, big guy?" She balanced the box on one of the rails and reached up to rub the reindeer's flank. "A friend of ours called Travis to tell him a story someone had told him. He said he'd heard about a deer on a nearby farm that'd gotten tangled up in some old barbed wire. No one had been able to get close to it so there was no way of knowing how bad its injuries were. Well, Travis geared up and went out after it."

"Why do I have a feeling you were right there with him?"

She grinned and shrugged. "An injured deer wandering around over acres and acres of nothing? Oh, yeah, I was right there with him. And so was our dad and Frankie. It took us a couple of days to track him and when we found him he was down. Imagine our surprise when we realized our rescue was actually a young reindeer. He had an infection from the wounds, the strand of barbed wire was wrapped around his neck and several of the barbs were embedded in his face, he was malnourished because he hadn't been able to eat…" she swallowed hard and rubbed the reindeer's neck. "We got him back to the clinic and it was touch and go with him for quite a while before he started to show any improvement."

"How'd he get his name?" Kyle asked as he rested his chin on his folded arms and watched her.

"Mom named him." She opened the box up and pulled out an apple that she offered to the reindeer. She smiled when the other three pushed their way up to the railing to get their treat. "We found him in February and she said he had to be all heart to survive what he'd gone through so he was given the name Cupid."

He chuckled. "How long have you guys been doing the reindeer thing?"

"Oh, we've been doing this for a long time. Since I was a kid. My parents love the holidays and especially Christmas so they found a way to make a living doing what they love."

"You love it too," he said, watching her as she fed the reindeer.

"What's not to love about taking care of God's creatures and celebrating His son's birth? We have a lot of fun and it's something our family's able to do together."

"You love your family." He smiled. "It's very obvious."

"So do you." She closed the empty box up and placed it on the floor. "Which makes me wonder what you're doing out here in the cold when your family's tucked into warm cabins and your wife's tucked in up at the Stevens' place."

"Thanks for offering your room," he said, remembering what Julia had told them. "We're good with the living room though, and you're probably gonna be ready to hit the hay as soon as your shift's over." He shrugged when she turned to lean against the pen. "Sometimes you just need a few minutes to find some peace and settle your thoughts."

Stefanie studied him for a few minutes before she spoke quietly. "Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without."

Kyle's eyebrows nearly shot off of his forehead. "You know Buddhism?"

She chuckled. "I enjoy learning about different religions and Buddhism struck me as very peaceful and grounding. But you know it too… you're a practicing Buddhist?"

"I've found balance with his teachings."

"You know, these guys are pretty settled for now. I'd love to hear your opinion of Buddhism as it pertains to today's fast-paced existence."

No one ever wanted to discuss Buddhism. He smiled and motioned to the hay stacked up against the wall. "If you'd love to listen, I'd love to share. Although, I encourage heated debate so don't hold back if your opinion differs." _This was what he had needed,_ he thought. Sometimes all a guy needed was the chance to get away from everyone and everything and free his mind.

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Maria wrapped her arms tightly around herself as she leaned back against the door, making a face when she realized that it was even colder in the bathroom. _How was that even possible?_ She sighed and reached over to turn on the light, frowning at her reflection. She was bundled up in an effort to ward off the cold but she was still cold and she looked like a giant marshmallow. She eyed her reflection critically. _Ungh, a giant marshmallow without a neck,_ she thought. No way was she getting rid of the bulky layers though.

She pulled the door open just enough to peer around it to look at Michael. He was crouched in front of the fireplace feeding logs into the fire and using his powers to give it a boost. The flickering flames backlit his features, revealing the tension in the taut line of his jaw. She shifted back and reached up to rub her hands over her face as she went over the meeting with her mom.

She could still hear the chastising in her mom's tone when she had deliberately answered her question about how Michael was by saying he was keeping them safe. She had known exactly what her mom was asking so why hadn't she just given her an answer?

Mom was so sure Michael was going to come around. It wasn't just him though and as hard as it was to admit that, she knew it was true. She knew he loved her, she didn't doubt that. It was in his voice, in the way he looked at her, and… she shivered. It was in the way he touched her. She was secure in his love, but without trust, where did that leave them?

She squeezed her eyes shut as she recalled her mom's parting words. How she had told her to make sure they took care of each other. She smiled and blinked back tears as her mom's words echoed in her head.

"_And you tell that boy his family misses him."_

She swallowed hard and pushed away from the doorframe, making herself go back out into the other room to face him. She was silent as she watched him use the poker to furiously jab the logs in the fireplace. He was frustrated with her, with the situation, and with his inability to understand what was going on with her and he was taking it out on the fiery logs.

Her steps grew heavier with each step she took and he turned from the waist to look at her just as one of her gloved hands came to rest on the back of her chair. They just watched each other warily for a few long moments before she pulled in a slow breath and forced the words out. "We need to talk, Michael. There're so many things between us, so many things that we have to talk about if we're ever gonna find ourselves again. The past week or so since we've been stuck here has been such a gift and we've had moments that have been so uniquely _us_, or at least who we were before our lives spun out of control. But it's not enough, is it?"

He shrugged one shoulder and viciously poked one of the logs. "No, it's not," he said finally.

"Then I think we've put it off as long as we can. It won't be much longer before we have to climb back in the van and head out into a future that's just as uncertain as it's ever been and I think before that happens we need to know where we stand with each other."

He rested his left elbow on his raised knee and rubbed his forehead with his thumb before he shoved himself to his feet and put the poker away. "Alright, let's do this." He wasn't thrilled with the situation or having this conversation in the freezing cold, but she was right. The Christmas on the Lake thing was the day after next and they were leaving once it was over so it would be better to know what they were looking at before they pulled out of the driveway for the last time.

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Isabel stood at the window in the living room, her eyes scanning the white landscape that seemed to stretch as far as she could see. She sighed and moved back to the couch, sitting down and staring at the woodstove. _At Elliot,_ she reminded herself with a small smile as her mind took a short detour to earlier that night.

She had been trying to do everything she could think of to make herself stay in the house. Kyle needed some time to himself, some time to just clear his mind and get settled, and she wanted to respect his wishes. He always seemed to know what to do for them and she wanted to be able to do the same for him. He was better at reading people than she was though and he picked up on little subtleties that most people seemed to overlook. She didn't think she was overlooking anything though; he had been completely open when he had told her he needed some space.

It just bothered her that he had stopped confiding in her, that he didn't seem able to open up to her anymore. She knew something wasn't right. She had seen it in his face and read it in his stiff posture when he had returned. She was certain something had happened while he was gone. She didn't think it involved Maria in spite of her being sick when they returned. She had a feeling that whatever it was had hurt him badly though.

"It's cold out tonight, Isabel."

She turned her head to look at Alex. He was sitting at the piano, his fingertips ghosting soundlessly over the ivory keys. "Yes, it is," she mused and a moment later she was pushing herself to her feet and going to get her outerwear.

Julia turned away from the counter where she was getting a pot of coffee ready for the next morning. "Going back out?"

"Going to check on Kyle," she answered as she shrugged into the heavy coat. "He walked over to the barn." Which she only knew because she had watched him until he disappeared from sight and it was the only thing in that direction.

"Would you like a ride over there?" Edward asked as he emerged from the pantry brushing crumbs from his mustache and then from the front of his shirt.

"No, I'll be fine, thank you." _I'm the last person who has to worry about…_ The thought and the smile that accompanied it were short-lived as an old memory surfaced.

She could remember standing in the rain making a call to the sheriff from a roadside payphone. _"Sheriff, I am the last person on Earth who has to worry about getting into a car with strangers."_ It was true as far as everyday people were concerned. But the FBI weren't normal everyday people, were they? They were people who came armed with weapons and drugs, people who wanted to capture and study them; people who would hurt them given half a chance.

"Isabel?" Julia held her hand out, pressing a key into the palm of her hand. "So you can get back inside once you've rounded up your husband," she said with a wink. "You can just leave it on the hook on the wall by the fridge when you get back."

"Thank you, Julia."

The wind hit her in the face the moment she stepped outside and she was certain it froze the breath in her lungs. "I'm gonna kill him," she chattered as she hugged the railing to avoid slipping as she made her way down the steps to the frozen ground.

"Dangerous as it is, I'm gonna assume you mean Kyle," Alex said as he walked beside her. He flashed a grin at her when she turned her head to look at him.

"Well, it's hard to decide," she said thoughtfully. "I mean, it's like fifty below and you're out here in a sweatshirt and jeans and you don't look the slightest bit cold."

He rolled his eyes at her. "It's an advantage to being on this side." He chuckled. "I'm impervious to these temperatures."

She was silent until they crossed the road and stepped onto Mr. Tony's property. "He isn't confiding in me, Alex."

"That bothers you."

"Well… yes!"

As they approached the barn her hand settled on the door to push it open and he saw her pause. "Worried what you'll see on the other side is somehow related to his recent reluctance to confide in you?"

"No, of course not," she denied.

"Good." He smiled and gestured for her to go inside. "You shouldn't be."

"What makes you – " The words died on her tongue when she turned to look at him and found only empty air next to her. She shook her head and pushed the door open, stepping into the barn and hurrying to shut the door behind her.

"Isabel?" Kyle sat up when he saw her come inside. He had been lounging back against a bale of hay, debating the similarities and differences between different religions and just enjoying himself when the door had opened. "What're you doin' over here?" He got up and ushered her over to the hay, urging her to sit down. "It's freakin' cold out there!"

"Yes, I know."

Stefanie motioned to the thermos wedged between a couple bales of hay. "Coffee?"

"No, thank you. It's getting late and we have an early morning." She smiled brightly at Kyle. "You haven't forgotten that tomorrow's the big rehearsal have you, honey?"

He smiled and shook his head. "No, not at all, sugar muffin."

Stefanie nearly choked on her coffee and got to her feet, excusing herself to check on the reindeer. Somehow the tall statuesque blonde didn't strike her as a _sugar muffin_.

"You didn't have to walk all the way over here, Isabel," Kyle said as he sat down beside her. "I would've been back before long."

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"So, you're not here because we have an early day tomorrow?"

She snorted indelicately and looked at him. "Have you found any peace?"

"Enough to settle my nerves a bit," he said with a nod.

"Julia and Edward have already gone to bed but they gave me the key so we can get back inside. They lock the door against the wind, remember?"

"Right."

"Yeah, so…"

He smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I guess we'd better get back over there if we wanna settle on the couches while it's still good and warm."

She watched him as he got up and went to say goodnight to Stefanie. He smiled and laughed at something she said and then he reached out and gave one of the reindeer a gentle pat before running his hand over the animal's neck in a slow motion.

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Michael watched Maria as she ran her gloved hands over the back of the chair, wondering if it was an unconscious gesture to calm her down. Now that she had his attention she looked unsure, as if she didn't know how or where to start. He could probably count the number of times he had known Maria to be unsure of herself on one hand. More often than not her uncertainty had revolved around their relationship… around him.

He knew he had given her more than enough reason to pack her bags and hit the road over the years but she had only done it once. And that hadn't been because of anything he had done. It would've been easier to swallow if it had been over some boneheaded stunt he had pulled. There was no denying it had shredded something inside of him when she had broken up with him, but as much as he had hated it there was a part of him that understood.

He had been born into the alien insanity; it was an integral part of him and he had little choice in the matter. Hell, they had only been 18 when she had come to him and told him she wanted to break up. He hadn't understood in that moment, still reeling from seeing her with that wannabe musician Billy closely followed up by her dumping his ass. She had just left him sitting there holding the flowers he had brought for her. _Flowers,_ he snorted. He wasn't exactly a flowers kinda guy but he had brought the stupid things and look where it had landed him. He hoped she didn't care about flowers because he'd be damned if he ever gave her flowers again.

Time had given him some clarity about that night and her decision. When people were 18 they were supposed to be worrying about things like college, whether their high school relationship was going to withstand the separation of college, the excitement of finally being out on their own, and exhilarated over getting their first real taste of life as adults. They were 18-year-olds who had been experiencing complications and realities for a couple of years already. They had been suffocating from an overdose of reality and they hadn't really had a break from it.

From 16 to 18 they had been steeped in alien drama. Trying to mix relationships into that had only increased the drama and put more stress on them that they hadn't known how to deal with. In just a little over two years they had been through the wringer. Liz had lost her grandma, they had lost Alex, he had lost Courtney, and Isabel had lost Grant. They had dealt with shape-shifting aliens, Skins, Kivar, and an alien-hunting FBI unit. Maria had given up a potential music career and Liz had lost out on Harvard. Max had been captured and tortured by the Special Unit, he had fathered a child with the person responsible for killing one of their own, and he had nearly destroyed his relationship with the parents he loved and ruined his future in his search for his son, not to mention what it had done to his relationship with Liz. Isabel had gotten married, and as much as he believed it was a rebound thing, who was he to judge? She had just been doing what she had to do to find her normal. And in the end she had lost that as well. He didn't believe in that happily ever after fairytale crap, but he had a feeling something better was waiting for her if she would just open her eyes. They hadn't even been able to enjoy graduation with family and friends…

_Graduation,_ he thought. A time that should've been filled with excitement and hopeful visions of all the possibilities the future held. Instead they had been filled with a sense of dread as Liz's premonition sent them scurrying to come up with a way to survive. He could remember Maria dragging him to Madame Vivian the day after learning that their graduation was ground zero for the next attack against them.

He hadn't put any stock in the fortune-telling fake or her stupid crystal ball but he had let Maria drag him there anyway. Why? He didn't really know. She had insisted the woman give her something to go on and while he might not be a genius in the relationship department, he had known she was seeking reassurance, confirmation that at some point in the future they were still alive and together.

He had blown it off, been flippant about the whole thing, and the moment Maria had turned to him and begged him to cooperate he had gone off on her. That whole thing with Billy was still simmering just below the surface, their breakup still fresh in his mind, and though he wouldn't admit it, his heart had still felt like a giant gaping wound. She hadn't sat there passively in response to his comment about her breaking up with him right after sucking face with Billy. No, she had come right back at him without taking a moment to consider her response. Courtney. It always seemed to boil down to those two issues.

They had both been hurt and the fact that they had verbally attacked using those weapons so deftly and without having to think about it should've been a red flag. They were intensely emotional people; whether they loved or fought they did it with everything they had. At the time though, Madam Vivian had been there and in the deafening silence that had fallen after hurling the accusations at each other they had turned to see her watching them. He could remember Maria apologizing for their behavior – not just his, but for both of them. And when the woman had asked to speak to him alone Maria had protested, insisting that she wanted to know what was about to be said.

When the fortune-telling fruitcake had patiently explained that what she had to say wasn't about their relationship, it was much bigger than that, he had seen the resignation in Maria's features. She had sounded defeated as she indicated that it was always more important, giving in and getting up and leaving without a fight. And then of course the fruitcake had gone on about "believe in the love" like he had any idea what that was all about. Afterwards he had blown Maria off, insisting the fortuneteller was a flake and refusing to talk about it.

He had gone into a library in some small town they had stopped in for a couple of days to pick up some day work and spent a little time reading up on tarot cards. The Lovers card was more about choices than anything else; it was about standing at a crossroad and having a choice to make. He still thought that fortuneteller was nuttier than a fruitcake, but what he had read had made sense to him.

He had never talked to Maria about what the woman had said to him. They had never discussed Billy or Courtney. They had danced around both subjects, occasionally taking a jab at each other, using the names as weapons and going in circles like two weary prizefighters. For the past six months those two topics had been shelved, festering like an infection in a closed wound. It wasn't until recently that Courtney's name had made an appearance and it had happened in a moment when Maria was stressed.

For so long they had kept their feelings about those incidents carefully buried, mistakenly hoping that if they ignored them they'd go away. Realistically, they knew that wasn't possible, but being on the run had given them a buffer against their tumultuous past. Packed in the van with four other people made it impossible to discuss any issues that a couple needed to air out and no one wanted to be around when he and Maria got into it because they tended to be very vocal. And very loud.

There were other things of course. It wasn't all about Billy and Courtney, but a lot of the hurt on both sides existed because of the way they had handled those situations. She was right. They had an opportunity here and they couldn't afford to let it pass. They needed to know where they stood with each other and right now they were poised on the precipice of that uncertainty that had plagued their relationship.

He looked up when she moved and took a seat in the overstuffed chair that had become hers in the time they had been in the cabin. He knew if he remained standing it would make him appear confrontational; it was a psychological thing and it was something he knew to be true. He shifted and after a moment he moved to sit in his chair, his coat rustling against the cushions as he settled deeper into them.

Maria sighed, overwhelmed by the feeling that they had once more ended up in this position. They always seemed to end up in this same spot no matter the location. Her mind tossed last Christmas in her face and she could see them sitting similar to the way they were now. It had been cold in Roswell, but not this cold. They had been sitting on her porch and she had pulled away from him when he had moved in to kiss her, inanely offering him a cup of hot chocolate. _Really, Maria? That's the best you could do? Break his heart and then offer him a freakin' cup of hot chocolate?_

She mentally kicked herself as she remembered the confused look on his face when he had tried to look out for her with Dominique, the agent who had wanted to sign her to a music label and she had blown him off. She had casually thrown it in his face that their lives were no longer linked and it had been painfully obvious that as far as he was concerned they were. She could still hear that confusion in his voice, the words underlined with hints of anger and hurt as he had asked the question she could still hear so clearly.

"_Didn't we just sleep together?"_

And she had looked at him like he should've understood that it had just happened. Her slow response, a single drawn-out 'yeah' had erased the confusion from his features and left a mask of acceptance and hurt in its place.

"_But it doesn't mean anything."_

His voice had been flat and even now she wished she could erase that moment. _I abandoned him,_ she thought. _I'm the one person he believed would never do that and what I did to him was unforgivable. You can be hard on yourself about that,_ her mind pushed, _but don't think you carry all the blame for the problems in your relationship._

She had just turned 18 when Billy had showed up, reminding her there was more to her than what she had allowed to surface in so long. When Michael had come into her life she had still been actively pursuing music, but over time it had been pushed to the background as she was pulled deeper into the alien abyss. And then with Alex's death she had let it slip away. Until Billy had showed up and given her a push. _Yeah, and that had gone over so well,_ she thought sadly. It was just another kick in the teeth that she had delivered to Michael, and it was something she knew bothered him to this day.

Billy had showed up and that passion she had for music had just reignited and flared to life. For the first time in a long time she had felt like she could breathe as the music poured from her fingertips and her lips, emotions that she had long suppressed finding voice in the words. It had felt like freedom and she had latched onto it like a drowning person would latch onto something to keep their head above water.

She had watched Liz make sacrifice after sacrifice for Max and it had depressed her. There were times she was sure her best friend was going to lose her identity to him and she knew at times Liz had felt that way. Not long after that her dream of singing and being something better than Roswell, New Mexico had rolled up outside Cow Patty's in a shiny black limo.

_And she had used it as an excuse to go off the Rez big time._

She swallowed hard and tugged her right glove off, the warmth seeming to stay within the confines of the glove as she dropped it to her lap. She drew in a shaky breath and reached for his hand as she released the words in a husky voice.

"I'm sorry, Michael. It wasn't fair of me to go off on you like that back there. I was scared. It's no excuse, but…" She let her fingertips trail over his sleeve, waiting for the warmth of his hand to envelope hers or to be left in the cold by his rejection of her tentative request. Her breath locked up in her chest when he brushed her hand away and she blinked furiously against the tears that threatened to erupt at any moment.

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Isabel hung the house key on the wall hook next to the refrigerator and paused to let her eyes wander over the collection of things stuck to the door with colorful magnets. Colored pictures torn from a coloring book, a school calendar, a few coupons, a recipe clipped from a magazine, and a picture of the kids and Edward that had been taken at what looked like a picnic. Her fingertips traced over the worn edges of a poem that had been written for Mother's Day, the childish script smudged in a few spots, and her vision blurred for a moment. The words were far from elegant but they were heartfelt and she had a feeling the smudged letters were from motherly tears.

"Wanna bet that was Eddie?" Kyle asked when he saw what had captivated her interest.

"How do you know?"

"The spelling's a dead giveaway that it's not Maggie and trust me," he flicked his finger against the paper, "Brian's not gonna put himself out there like this." He nodded when she rolled her eyes at him. "This is not the kinda thing a guy like Brian writes when he's 13."

"Eddie's only a year younger than him."

"And he's the sensitive one. We're talkin' younger, tamer versions of your brother and Michael. Which one of them would've been more likely to write a sappy poem for Mother's Day?" He rolled his eyes when she just looked at him. "Okay, even if El Capitan had've had a mother, can you really see him letting out his inner poet?"

Isabel snorted at that. She couldn't imagine that in any way, shape, or form. Max, yes, but Michael? Just… no. "Point taken." She busied herself fixing a couple mugs of hot chocolate when he went to the living room, mixing a small handful of the mint baking chips into his and stirring them until they melted. It was something she had seen him do before, mix a couple of mint-flavored chocolates into his hot chocolate.

He seemed more relaxed after spending an hour or so with the Reindeer Whisperer and in her head where she could be completely honest with herself she could admit she was a little jealous.

"A little?"

She lifted her head to look at Alex where he was lounging against the refrigerator. "You shouldn't be here," she murmured quietly.

His grin lit up his features. "I'm pretty sure no one will see me."

"No, but I'll talk to you and if someone overhears me…"

"They'll think you're crazy," he teased. He cocked his head to one side as he studied her features. "You're mad at me." He pondered that for a moment. "Because I suggested you go to him?"

"Yes, if you must know. He was perfectly content to debate Buddhism or whatever they were debating before I showed up. He was relaxed and enjoying Reindeer Girl's company, talking about a subject he enjoys, and I interrupted them," she hissed.

"And yet he came back with you. Isabel, you didn't have to twist his arm to get him back over here. He came willingly."

"He didn't really have a choice."

Alex snorted at that. "Of course he had a choice. He could've easily chosen to spend his evening talking reindeer and religion with a young, attractive, blonde-haired woman, but he didn't. He spent some time with her, unwinding after what was an incredibly stressful day, and when you showed up he said his goodnights and came back over here to sit in front of the woodstove and have hot chocolate."

"He's probably already sleeping." She rolled her eyes when he just stared at her. "What do you suggest I do? I told you he's not confiding in me and I can't force him to talk."

"No one forces Kyle to talk or do anything else." He gave her a meaningful look. "Not even you, Isabel. What's on his mind is something he's trying to sort through and when he's ready he'll talk about it." He glanced at the doorway before looking down at the mugs. "Add marshmallows, the little ones."

"Add marshmallows," she muttered.

"Yeah, the little ones," Kyle said as he came into the kitchen and walked over to the wall where their coats were hanging. "Forgot to leave the hat," he said and shoved it in one of the pockets. He glanced around her to look at the tray of Magic Bars wrapped and sitting on the counter. "Think Julia would mind if I snatched one of those?"

"I think she'd say that's what they're there for."

"Want one?" He took two when she nodded and placed them on a napkin before wrapping the plate again. He took a bite of one and turned to lean back against the counter while Isabel washed the few things she had used to make hot chocolate. "Been some day, huh?"

The question served as a reminder of just how long the day had been and as the thought formed her body reacted, letting her know just how exhausted she was. She felt drained and as she looked at Kyle she knew he was experiencing the same thing. _And he probably felt even worse,_ she thought as she remembered his experience earlier that evening. "Yeah," she said finally, "it really has been."

He poked at the marshmallows that were quickly melting into the hot chocolate. "Why don't we go take a load off?"

"That might just be the best idea you've had all day, Kyle."

He lifted his mug in a silent salute. "Kyle's full of good ideas if people would just listen when he talks." He chuckled as he rolled his shoulders and made his way into the living room.

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Michael jerked his glove off and caught her hand when he saw her slowly pulling away. He caught the surprise that flickered in the green eyes that shimmered with unshed tears when she looked at him. He gave her a nod before his gaze returned to the fireplace, but he squeezed her hand gently before threading his fingers through hers.

Maria looked at their interlaced hands and the sight made the stiff muscles in her face and throat begin to relax. Even with everything between them his touch warmed her, eased her in a way that nothing else could, and it astonished her. His touch was more soothing than any Cypress Oil or Grief Relief she had used in the past. _His brand of calming didn't leave that bad aftertaste either,_ she thought with a small smile as she recalled the taste of the Grief Relief. She stared as his thumb began to make slow sweeping movements against her hand and she sighed quietly. This was what she had wanted from the very beginning and this was her chance to make it right.

Michael shifted in his chair and finally pulled his gaze away from the fire to shoot a questioning look in her direction.

She swallowed and nodded before continuing. "It is kinda true that my status as the last remaining human in our group makes me uncomfortable at times."

"You know for you to get access to your own set of secret powers you have to basically die, right?"

"That's not what I'm saying, Michael. Sometimes I just feel like a liability, like I'm the one you have to worry about because you think I can't protect myself."

"The Special Unit gets close to us you _can't_ protect yourself, Maria. That's just the reality of our situation. That doesn't make you weak and it doesn't make you a liability. As for worryin' about you, I think we covered that earlier."

"Yeah, I got that." He had been quite emphatic on that point so there was no need to go over it again. "Maybe it makes me uncomfortable but it doesn't really scare me. What scares me is that I'll never be able to earn your trust again. That I destroyed that and," her chest tightened at the thought, "and that I can never get it back." She squeezed his hand and spoke before her throat totally closed up. "I love you, Michael." The words felt heavy on her tongue. "And if I could change anything I'd take back what I said to you the day after we made love when I told you our lives were no longer linked." She felt him tense up. "I'm so sorry, Michael." Her eyes stung and her body was taut, every nerve feeling exposed as she waited for his reaction.

Her heart was pounding in the silence that followed, the crackling flames in the fireplace the only sound disturbing the quiet. She could feel the warmth from the fire beginning to seep into her body. She had to remind her lungs to breathe in and out as the seconds ticked by and he continued to stare into the fireplace. The tears that she was trying so hard to hold back began to quietly roll over her cheeks when his thumb moved to stroke her hand.

"Okay then." He shifted and finally turned his head to look at her. His eyes softened as he squeezed her hand and after a moment he stood to work his arms free of his coat before moving to put it away. His palm brushed against her back before his hands settled on his chair, working it around until it was in the position he wanted – facing her. He rubbed his palms against his thighs, the thick fabric of the snow pants protesting with an abrasive, scratching sound. "Thanks, for sayin' that," he said finally. "That means a lot to me, but since we're bein' honest here, I've made mistakes too…"

She expelled a heavy breath, releasing the air that had been pent up in her chest and as quickly as the foggy expiration dissipated the tension in her body began to ease. She glanced at the painting of the interior of a cabin that just felt like a loving home and for the first time in so long she had hope that she would have that home with Michael one day. He had forgiven her with an ease she hadn't expected or even felt that she deserved. She drew in a shaky breath and let it out slowly, her gaze dropping to his hands when they wrapped around hers.

"Maria, back when we first started this," he gestured between them with their clasped hands, "I racked up the mistakes. I'm the one who walked away more times than I care to count but you knew I'd come for you. You always believed in me even when no one else did."

She watched him as his demeanor suddenly shifted and she could feel the discomfort rolling off of him.

He struggled with the thoughts he was trying to verbalize and his hand brushed his jaw as the words of an old friend came to him. _"Do you have any idea what you've done to Maria?!"_ Alex had been livid when he had showed up at his door and he had held nothing back as he threw a punch that Michael hadn't expected, but at the same time, had respected._ "She's not just some girl!"_ He smiled grimly as the words he needed spilled out. "And then Courtney showed up." He squeezed her hands lightly, closing his eyes as he debated what to say next.

Maria shook her head slowly and her eyes shifted away from his briefly. "Michael," she said softly, her thumbs stroking over his fingers as she looked at him once more, "you don't have to do this." She shrugged one shoulder. "She was in that spaceship you were waiting for." She smiled tightly. "Y'know, that something better than Roswell, New Mexico."

He became restless at the turn the conversation had taken, releasing her hands and standing. He turned to face the fireplace as he tried to put his jumbled thoughts in order. _He just wasn't good at talks like this,_ he thought as he shoved his left hand in the pocket of his pants. The heat from the fireplace had warmed the cabin up considerably and he felt like he was roasting since he was standing so close to the damn thing.

"Michael, this isn't necessary."

His eyes held the reflection of the flames dancing in the fireplace as they met hers and then shifted away again. "Yeah, I do. If we've got any kinda chance of stoppin' this dance we've been doin' we've gotta deal with all this crap in our past. We've gotta be strong enough to break the cycle so we can move on, whether it's as a couple or as friends."

Maria's breath caught in her throat as his last sentence ran through her head over and over. _Friends,_ she thought. _No, that's not what she wanted. She wanted it all._ She started to tell him again that it wasn't necessary but he spoke before she could get the words out.

"She's dead because of me. I screwed up and gave her information that ultimately got her killed."

"No," she insisted. "No, Michael. She was a soldier for years; she had been on the run with the resistance and she was dying. She knew the risk and she chose to take it. Don't listen to that," she made a face as a mental image of Nicholas was pulled up from her memory, "eww, that creepy, pubescent leprechaun. Like you, she was soldier. You've kept us alive and safe while we've been on the road and no one can or will ever tell me differently." She was surprised by his momentarily stunned expression and she took the opportunity to say what she had intended to say before he interrupted her.

She stood and took the necessary steps to bring her closer to him. She gently reached out to take his hand. "That whole thing with Courtney, yes, it hurt, but it doesn't matter to me anymore. On one level it hasn't mattered since you came to my house to say goodbye on Graduation Day. And on another I just needed you to acknowledge what happened with her." She paused for a moment. "Do you remember what you said that day in front of my house?" She didn't wait for him to respond. "You said you knew I was the girl for you when you kidnapped me and stole my car and that no matter where you were gonna be you wanted me to know you loved me and you always had. I knew it was true when you said it." Her eyes traced over his features and a tentative smile lifted the corners of her lips. "I could feel our connection that day just like I did that day in that hotel's porno version of Aladdin. It's strong, Michael, and I don't want to let it go."

His features softened and in that moment her Michael broke through. "Maria," he said hoarsely.

Her hand lifted and her fingers played over his closed lips for a heartbeat before she fell into his familiar embrace. "Michael." His arms came around her as he lowered his head. She returned his kiss and couldn't help but giggle into his mouth when he growled at the bulky coat she wore that was coming between them.

Michael pulled away with the intention of helping her shrug out of her coat and he followed her gaze when she glanced at the floor. One of her gloves had fallen from her lap when she stood and he wondered at her smile as she retrieved it and shoved it in her right pocket.

Maria looked up at him again, recognizing his need, his desire for her. It made her heady with her own need and want of him. "Bed, Michael, we need to go to bed."

He moved their chairs back away from the fireplace before moving to the bed with purpose. The room had warmed but it was still cold enough that sleeping anywhere but right in front of that fire was going to make for a long, miserable night. He scooped the covers up and then hauled the mattress to the floor, situating it close enough to the fire that they would be warm and far enough away that they would be safe. That task complete, he retrieved the covers and pillows and laid them over the mattress.

He looked up at Maria when she moved to stand next to the makeshift bed. She was still wearing her coat and in her hands she held a small red box with gold trim. She was staring at it with an expression of disbelief. "Maria…?"

_Mom must've put it in her pocket when they said their goodbyes,_ she thought as she lifted the lid. She stared at the pearl stud earrings nestled inside and her vision began to blur as she registered Michael's concerned voice.

"Maria?" He had moved to stand in front of her and as he glanced down to see what was in the box the worry in his features eased into a smile. "Where'd they come from?" he asked as he brushed his thumb against his eyebrow.

"My mom…" she cleared her voice in an effort to make it stop shaking. "Mom must've put them in my pocket when we were saying goodbye."

His hand settled against her neck, his thumb stroking her throat as he searched her eyes. "You saw your mom?"

Her response was a silent nod, afraid if she opened her mouth to speak she would lose her tenuous grasp on her emotions. She carefully closed it, barely noticing the quiet _snap _as the top and bottom met. She turned to gently place it on the mantle above the fireplace and her eyes lifted to the cabin painting. She sniffed as she stealthily wiped a stray tear from her cheek.

"She was at the sheriff's house?" Jim wasn't the sheriff any longer, hadn't been for a while now, but in his mind the man would always be the sheriff of Roswell. It was the mindset, the way he carried himself, it was such an integral part of who the man was, and he had earned that badge. "It doesn't matter," he said gently. "It can wait." He shook his head and tugged her closer to start undressing her, beginning with the bulky outer gear. He stripped her down to her long underwear and guided her down onto the mattress, getting them situated under the covers.

He pulled her close and thought about how hard it must've been for Amy to have her only daughter just up and leave. How hard it must be to live with the knowledge that she may never see her again. He sighed as he mentally ran over what Maria had given up to be with him.

Maria burrowed deeper into his arms and murmured his name. "Michael, my mom had a message for you."

"Yeah?" He braced himself for whatever she was going to say.

"She said, 'Make sure that boy knows his family misses him'." She felt him turn his head toward her and the subsequent response as the single word rumbled up from the depths of his chest.

"Yeah?"

She smiled at him and raised herself up on one elbow as the fingers of her free hand traced over his undershirt. "Um-hmm…"

He returned her smile with one of his own. "She say anything else?"

Maria nodded as her fingers traveled up to his lips and her thumb brushed over them, her eyes following the simple action. "Mmm-hmm, she said we should take care of each other."

Michael deftly rolled her onto her back without exposing them to the cold air that still permeated the inside the cabin. His mouth was soft and warm as it fused to hers and he kissed her with a gentle but thorough urgency. He broke the kiss for a brief moment, inhaling a ragged breath as his eyes locked with hers. "Well… that's what we'll do then," he said, his quiet voice giving way to the want building inside of him.

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The fire in the wood burning stove was no longer blazing as Kyle and Isabel stared at it from their respective couches, each lost in their own thoughts. The house was quiet, the only sound the sporadic creak as the house protested the wind that was blowing so violently. On occasion they could hear the wind howling as it was momentarily caught by the eaves of the house. The day had been long and stressful and the high-pitched whistling did nothing to soothe nerves already badly frayed.

Isabel shifted as the restlessness that was preventing her from getting comfortable made itself known in the man lying across the room. She glanced over at Kyle and she wondered once again what had happened while he and Maria had been gone. She knew something was bothering him, keeping him from sleeping, and whatever it was had driven him out of the warmth of the house and across to Reindeer Girl earlier that night.

"Trouble sleepin'?"

The quiet question reminded her yet again of the many times that he had been there for her, putting aside his own problems to deal with hers. He did the same thing for the others but when was the last time any of them had shelved their own issues to help him out with his? Granted, he hid his problems behind a wall of humor, but they knew each other well enough that if they really looked they could see that he was in pain too.

She pushed herself up on her elbow to look at him. "Yeah." Normally she considered herself to be a fairly articulate woman but at the moment she couldn't seem to get her tongue to cooperate.

"Workin' out the plans for tomorrow?"

It would be so easy to just fall back on the crutch of organizing the dress rehearsal the next day. Just fade away into her happy place. But no, she could do better than that for him. "No, you know me, I had that all planned a week ago." She rested her head on her pillow and tucked her hand up under it. "Kyle, about what happened tonight… I just wanna say I'm sorry for the way you were pushed into using – "

He cleared his throat and held a hand up as he sat up to glance over at the doorway, making sure no one was close enough to overhear their conversation. They hadn't heard anyone stirring for well over an hour but he had no reason to think that Edward would pass up the chance to listen in if the opportunity presented itself. He rubbed his eyes and mentally shook himself. _He had been spending way too much time with El Capitan._

"Kyle?"

He lifted a finger to his lips and slipped from his sofa, carefully wrapping the sheets and blanket around him as he crossed the room to settle down at the end of hers.

"It just wasn't right that you had to do that without being given any real time to process what had happened to you the first time."

He shook his head as he rubbed his face tiredly. "As scary as that was for me, I do understand why Michael was pushing so hard." His eyes locked on the woodstove as he continued, his voice taking on a faraway note as he remembered the night in Oregon when they had nearly been captured. "When we were attacked in Oregon and they hit us with those tranquilizer darts loaded with the suppressant that kept you guys from bein' able to really fight back… I've never felt so helpless, Isabel." _Liar,_ his conscience taunted. _You felt pretty damn helpless when she got shot and you didn't know if she was gonna live or die._ He shoved that memory aside along with the nightmare of Oregon. "If Michael hadn't been so damn stubborn and insisted on sleepin' in the van with Maria that night I don't know where we'd all be today."

"Kyle, you don't – "

"Lemme get this out, Isabel." He was quiet a moment before continuing. "I had Michael in my face shouting orders, tellin' me exactly what to do and how to do it to get you guys outta there. I guess him clockin' me upside the head helped my focus although at the time I don't recall appreciating it." He smiled grimly. "We were lucky. Trust me, I know how to say no to your brother and Michael, but I also knew they were right. We had to know what I can do. We never know from one day to the next if we'll be facing the Special Unit before the day's over and if what I can do can work as an advantage for us," he shrugged, "then we have to explore it to its fullest. I have to be able to step up if and when the situation calls for it."

"No one thinks you would ever do any less, Kyle."

He relaxed deeper into the cushions, resting his head against the back as he turned to face her. "I know I've been a little distant…"

She shook her head. "It's okay," she assured him. "I remember how I felt after I dreamwalked the first time. It wore me out physically and mentally I was a wreck."

"How old were you when you did it the first time?"

"Seven. I dreamwalked my mom unintentionally; I was lying in bed crying because I missed Michael so badly. I would be fine for a while but sometimes something just triggered this sense of loss and the only person I could talk to about it was Max." She rolled her eyes. "And I love my brother but sometimes he doesn't have a clue."

He snorted at that. "Sometimes I forget Michael wasn't picked up with you guys." He made a rolling motion with one hand. "Go on."

"When I was little and something scared me or made me sad and I couldn't go to one of my parents I'd fall back on one of my favorite memories." She smiled. "When my mom and dad came to the orphanage to adopt me and Max she was wearing this yellow sweater that made me think of the sun. Maybe it's ridiculous but I knew in my heart that from that moment on she was my mom. Anyway, I must've cried myself to sleep because the next thing I knew I was dreaming that I was in Mom and Dad's room, climbing into their bed to be next to her." She chuckled at the memory. "I suddenly woke up just as my mom let out this ear-piercing scream"

Kyle shifted to rest his arm along the back of the couch as she fell quiet and he was certain she was remembering her mom. He glanced at his arm and after a moment he pulled it closer and let his lower arm drop to rest against his chest. "I wasn't freaked out as much this time," he said quietly. "While we were there with my dad and her mom… did either of us mention that her mom was there?" He went on when she shook her head. "Yeah, anyway, we were about to leave and I thought about my grandpa. I told my dad he had to come with us… that we couldn't just leave him there. I always hated that nursing home he was in. Not because of anything they did or didn't do, just because it seemed to suck the life out of him." He stopped and clenched his jaw, forcing his voice to even out before he continued. "That's when Dad told me he's been gone since September."

Isabel slowly sat up so she could move over to sit close to him. She could see how hard he was trying to keep his emotions in check and it hurt to see the pain he was in. Her hand brushed over the blanket wrinkled up between them as she spoke quietly. "I'm so sorry, Kyle."

His eyes didn't move from the wood burning stove as he shook his head slowly. "Thanks." He couldn't dwell on his grandfather's passing. He drew in a deep breath before turning to look at her. "So, dress rehearsal tomorrow, huh?" In spite of his face feeling stiff he felt his lips curve up in a grin at his insistence. "El Capitan and El Presidente in elf suits; I'm gonna like that. I'm gonna like that a lot."

She knew he was changing the subject in an effort to lighten the mood and she smiled softly at him. She gnawed on her bottom lip for a moment when he started to gather up his covers and she knew he was getting ready to move back over to his own couch. "Kyle?"

He paused in the process of scooting to the edge of the cushions to give him some leverage to get to his feet. "Yeah?"

She shivered when the wind howled again and something knocked against the side of the house. "Stay a while?"

He shrugged and eased back into his former position. "Okay." He sighed and closed his eyes as his linked hands settled over his stomach. "Wanna hear a story about the time my grandpa took me to a ghost town up in Colorado?" It was one of the rare times Grandpa hadn't been insisting that there were aliens among them and they had spent a week roaming through the state doing fun stuff like hiking, rafting, and camping.

"Yeah, I'd like that."

He opened one eye to look at her. "You got any fun grandparent stories?"

She made a face. "Well, there was this one time my grandparents took us to see one of those wax museums and one of the wax people had started to melt or something and the eye was kinda sliding down its face." She tried hard not to laugh. "It made Max cry. I thought that was funny until we got to our next stop on Grandpa's fun afternoon museum tour." She made a face. "Did you know there's an actual roach museum?" It was a story that she had sworn she would never share with anyone of her own free will but she could see the easing of the tension in him so she continued. "That one freaked me out."

"Roaches… like the bugs?"

She shuddered. "Exactly like the bugs. They're dressed up in little clothes and it's… it's just gross."

He laughed and shook his head. "I think that really trumps my ghost town story."

"That's for me to judge, Valenti. Now share."

He tugged the blankets closer and launched into the story, laughing with her when he shared the way his grandfather had walked him through the old saloon without telling him that it had been rigged so that cardboard people popped up unexpectedly. He lost himself in the stories as the night wore on and they shared stories about their families and for a while forgot about their current situation.


	53. Chapter 53

**Part 53**

It wasn't the sound of snow-laden branches creaking. It wasn't the sound of the wind howling around the corners of the silent cabin. It wasn't even the icy cold air inside the cabin that woke him from a sound sleep. It was the disturbance created by Maria kicking off the covers and exposing his naked flesh to that arctic breeze that had him hissing and burrowing closer to her in an effort to hold onto the heat.

The arm around her waist flexed as he hauled her back against him and he swung his leg over both of hers to keep her still. He made a grab for the mountain of covers they had piled on top of them to ward off the chill that had been lurking outside the heated area created by the fire he had started. Once he was save from losing a layer of skin to frostbite he inhaled deeply, drawing her scent in before letting out a soft but languorous yawn and settling them back into the warmed spot.

He sighed contentedly and closed his eyes again. Something tickled his face and he quickly determined that it had to be her hair because no bug was brave enough to venture out in these temperatures. He blew at it and for a moment the sensation abated but just about the time he started to ease back into sleep it started again. He growled and reached up to bat it away and the motion was enough to chase away the last vestiges of sleep.

He looked around, taking in the darkness. After a few minutes his eyes had adjusted and he could make out the outlines of the furniture and the shadows that played on the wall across from them. The outline of the window was reflected on the television screen and he wondered absently if the stupid thing would crack if he turned it on. He stared up at the ceiling and rubbed his nose against the covers when it started to itch.

He tugged the covers down just enough to expose his mouth and he blew an experimental breath into the air. _Yeah, that was just too damn cold to be __**inside**_, he thought with a shake of his head. His attention was pulled back to Maria when she snuggled back into him and tried to kick the covers off again. _Oh, no you don't._ He couldn't help but smile at how completely relaxed she was in his arms. It had been too long since they had been this close.

Her skin against his brought their earlier lovemaking to mind and the memory caused heat to rush through him, starkly contrasting with the freezing temperatures outside their little cocoon. He let his hand travel over her curves beneath the covers, drawing a quiet sigh from Maria before he withdrew it to take aim at the fireplace.

He craned his neck to glance around his splayed hand and he imagined the fireplace with a fire roaring and heating up their little corner of the cabin. He growled under his breath when the darkened interior of the fireplace remained dark and cold. He made a face and splayed his fingers wider, glaring at the fireplace as it gave it another shot. "Secret powers suck." He released an exasperated breath before dropping his head back on the pillow. "Crap," he muttered quietly, "must be outta wood." He smirked to himself when Maria shifted again. _Well, not completely outta wood._

The smirk was short-lived when her foot snaked past him and she succeeded in kicking her foot free of the covers. The intrusion of freezing air into their warm space made one of them hiss and he wasn't sure if it had been her or him. He covered her up once again and his hand patted along the edge of the mattress in search of the thermal shirt he had been wearing earlier. He jerked forward and grabbed for the edge of the mattress above his head when he nearly fell off onto the floor. It didn't matter that it was only 6-8 inches. That floor was going to be like sitting on a block of ice. What the hell was he doing on the edge anyway? Because his girlfriend had managed to move him across its wide expanse every time she had kicked the covers off. That in itself made him smile. She hadn't slept so peacefully since before they had broken up.

His face felt like it was frozen and when he couldn't find his shirt he settled for grabbing his coat instead. He gently rolled Maria and tucked the covers in around her to keep her warm while he slipped out for a few minutes. He shrugged into the coat and decided it would be quicker to get the fire started than it would be to try and find his pants. He took the few necessary steps to reach the fireplace; the temperatures that he was certain were below freezing making them feel like he had just walked a mile.

He worked quickly, stacking the logs in the fireplace and using his powers to boost the little fire into a roaring blaze. He smirked and blew across his fingertips before brushing them over the front of his jacket. He turned his head to stare at his girlfriend, his mind replaying every moment of the night before when he had really looked at her after responding to her apology.

It was the first time he'd done that since she had broken up with him. He had looked at her and felt her longing to be with him to the fullest extent. It was a physical ache she had held onto that had only begun to abate when he had accepted her apology. Taking her hands afterwards and opening up to her about Courtney had exposed a painful wound, but rather than hold onto it he had seen and felt her desire to release it the moment had had started to struggle with the words he needed to talk about his time with the other girl.

He watched her sleep, completely relaxed for the first time in months, and it was as if the weight of everything she had been carrying around had been lifted. In spite of his skin almost burning from the heat of the fire now raging in the fireplace his thoughts continued. He had been determined to confront their past, _they_ had finally both been ready to tackle that old wound, and he winced as he recalled the way he had shut her out of his life. He had told her at one point that it was better for the both of them; that aliens and humans didn't mix.

He had been reluctant to bring that topic up regardless of which of them got to it first. But as he had sat across from her trying to hold up his part of the deal and trying to confront that particular issue, he had been able to feel her compassionate, loving response in spite of the hurt it had caused her in the past. He had started to shake as he revealed the fear that he was responsible for Courtney's death, that he had gotten her killed, and that Maria would be next because of something stupid he did.

She had stunned him into silence with her response: "You've kept us alive and safe while we've been on the road and no one can or will ever tell me differently." He had been overwhelmed by her words, by the expression in her eyes, and mostly by the feelings he had gotten from her. His thoughts shifted to her explaining how she had felt inferior because of her status as the last remaining all-human in the group. His lips tightened into a thin line as he thought about the times he had shut her out and unknowingly making her think that she wasn't a strong person.

He blinked when Maria stirred and he studied her face in the firelight. Truth be known, she was the strong one, the one who believed in him when he wouldn't or couldn't believe in himself. She didn't need him to save her. The truth of the matter was she had saved him over and over again with nothing more than her belief in him. She was the miracle in him; she made him want to be the best he could be for her and for himself.

He began to sweat and he shifted in the heavy coat. It had felt good when he had grabbed it to prevent his body from turning to ice but the heavy material against sweating skin didn't feel so great. He shrugged out of it and quickly took the few steps back to the mattress, spreading the coat out over the covers and then diving below them when the cold threatened again.

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Max was staring at the wall, his mind going over everything that had happened the day before. The temperature in the cabin was comfortable and he was sprawled out on the bed, his right foot sticking out from under the covers. He had slept like a rock once Liz had finally drifted off and he had woken first but hadn't had the heart to disturb her. He had lain awake as dawn broke and the darkness had given way to a light grey skyline. As the minutes had passed the sky had slowly become more of a whitish grey and he imagined it was probably an imminent sign that more snow was on the way.

_Michael would love that,_ he thought sarcastically. The girls actually would love it because the more snow that fell the likelier it was their stay would be extended. If things were different he could picture them staying for a while but he knew they would have to move on and it would have to be soon. It wasn't just themselves they put in danger by staying in one place for so long and the Stevens' had done so much for them. Not that they would intentionally put anyone at risk but this family, this community, had become so much more than just passing acquaintances in the short time they had been stranded there.

Eventually they were going to have to split up. They would be afforded a certain protection if they could safely cross into Canada, but even then putting some distance between them would be wise. He sighed as he considered what that would do to Liz. She had lost contact with her parents and when they split up it would just be the two of them; they wouldn't lose all contact with the others but they wouldn't have the constant interaction they were all so accustomed to.

He turned his head and his gaze settled on his wife's pallid features. She had been a wreck the night before. Not just because Maria had seen her mom and it brought home just how much Liz missed her own parents, but because she felt guilty for the jealousy she felt over the brief meeting her best friend had been gifted with. He shifted onto his side when she sighed quietly and he realized she wasn't asleep.

"How long have you been awake?" he asked quietly.

"Not long," she whispered as if she was afraid speaking any louder might disturb the near silence in the cabin. "What're you thinking about?"

"Moose Jaw."

Her eyes snapped open and she looked at him in surprise. "What?"

"It's a city in Canada. Straight shot up north from back home." He shrugged one shoulder. "Maybe one day it'll be safe for your parents to visit."

"And yours," she said softly as she rolled onto her side to meet his gaze. She brought her hand up to rest alongside his jaw and her thumb traced over his bottom lip. She knew the reality of their situation as well as he did and she knew it may never really be an option for them. Not as long as there were Special Unit agents searching for them. But she appreciated his efforts to try and cheer her up. Her eyes dropped to their hands when he reached for hers and their fingers interlocked.

"What?" he asked when she smiled for the first time in what seemed like days.

"I was just remembering the morning we faced our parents after spending the night out in the desert. Remember? We went searching for that orb and…" She nodded when he grinned at the memory. "Yeah. They were so not happy with us."

"Our moms more than our dads," he said and laughed. "Your dad wasn't ready to stake me out in the desert for the fire ants at that point."

She elbowed him as she laughed with him. "I don't think it ever would've come to that."

Max snorted. "I beg to differ. There was a time when it could've."

"Thank God for Jane Covendall." The elderly woman had been such a help the night of the New Years' party at the Crashdown, making her see things a little differently. Although she had a feeling Jim Valenti had helped too. She had seen him sitting at the bar talking to her dad that night although neither of them had ever said anything about that conversation.

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Travis wandered out of the den and headed for the kitchen, yawning widely and rubbing his stomach when it rumbled loudly. He wondered absently if the Stevens would mind if he had something to eat and then just as quickly discarded that thought. Julia had told him to make himself at home and he took her offer at face value. He paused in the living room doorway and started to walk over to the picture window to see if it had snowed overnight but the sound of snoring caught his attention before he could move.

His gaze settled on the couple tangled up on the couch peacefully sleeping and oblivious to the rest of the world. He chuckled to himself and turned back to go into the kitchen. He could check the snowfall from there just as easily without disturbing them. He was making himself a cup of coffee a few minutes later when he heard the sound of little feet coming down the stairs, the rapid patter indicating that someone wasn't following the rules.

He poked his head around the corner to catch sight of the red and white blur that was Miss Maggie Stevens as she practically flew down the stairs. Her destination was clear judging by the intent look on her face as she eyed the living room doorway. He moved to block her path before she could catch Kyle and Isabel by surprise and he smiled when she came to a sudden stop on the third step.

Maggie looked up at Travis with wide eyes and she bit her bottom lip as she slowly turned her head to look over the railing and down the hallway to see if Mama and Daddy were there. After a few moments she relaxed and smiled as she looked at Travis again.

His eyebrows lifted as he watched her and after a few seconds of silence she dropped her gaze and dragged her right foot across the step unconsciously. He bit back a grin as the sound of the jingle bells her mama had sewn onto the toes of her little pointy elf shoes rang out cheerfully. "You must be the Christmas elf I've been hearin' about."

She looked down at herself. "It's me, Mr. Travis. I'm Maggie."

"No." He shook his head. "Can't be. I've seen Miss Maggie before and she's never had one of these snazzy elf outfits on."

Her nose crinkled. "What's snazzy mean?"

"It means bright and colorful, kinda fancy like your elf outfit. I've heard about you, ya know? See, there's this big to-do over at Mr. Tony's place here pretty soon and I hear Santa's gonna be there. There's this pretty lady organizing the whole thing and she's been tellin' everybody about this special little elf that works directly with Santa." He took a step back and looked at her for a moment before nodding. "Yep, that's gotta be you."

"Nuh-uh," she said, shaking her head.

"Oh," disappointment clouded his tone, "so you're not Santa's Chief Elf?"

She studied him for a moment and then giggled. "Mr. Travis, you're funny. You know it's just me. But I do get to help Santa. Isabel said so."

"That's gotta be the most important job there is."

"Oh, yes, and I'm gonna do it real good." She smiled widely and held up her beloved stuffed bear that was now wearing a tiny red hat. "Looky, Mama made it." She shook the toy and the bell sewn onto the end of the hat jingled. "It's just like mine. I'm gonna go show Isabel an' Kyle."

He chuckled at her enthusiastic comment. "Maybe you could help me with puttin' some breakfast together first?"

"Well…" She leaned to the side to try to see around him.

"C'mon," he cajoled, "you know how much you like it when you wake up to breakfast, right? And you guys have a big day today with that rehearsal. Probably wouldn't hurt to make sure everyone's got a full tummy before they get the day started."

"Mama makes the best applesauce pancakes."

"Not too sure about that but I can make blueberry pancakes."

She made a face. "I like the kind with chocolate chips. Daddy tries to make them so they look like animals but they don't really." She took his hand and fell into step beside him, her silver bells jingling with every step and bob of her head. "I think Michael would like chocolate chip pancakes and sausage. Oh, the hot kind though. He likes things sweet an' spicy like Santa does." Her eyes widened and she covered her mouth with her hand as she tried to remember if that was a secret.

Travis held his forefinger to his lips. "The secret's safe with me." He lowered his hand to hold it out to her, his pinky raised. He had grown up with a younger sister so he understood just how sacred little girls held a pinky promise.

"Okay," she said, clearly relieved once the sanctity of the secret had been upheld.

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It was the scent of bacon frying that teased his nostrils and began to lure him from the depths of the most restful sleep he'd had in a long time. He inhaled deeply as he mentally stretched and snuggled back into the warm comfortable spot his body had settled into overnight. His eyelids flickered for a few seconds before his blurry vision slowly began to clear and when it did it landed on the sofa across the room.

He frowned and tipped his head slightly as he studied the sofa that was suspiciously free of its occupant. Beneath the pillow he could feel the arm of the couch and he rubbed his head against it to scratch an itch. He was warm and content, he could smell breakfast cooking, and without thinking much beyond the moment his eyes started to drift closed. It wasn't until he flexed his arm and stretched without conscious thought that he realized the cushions he was so comfortably snuggled into weren't cushions at all.

His heart that had been so calmly beating a moment before suddenly started to pound and he forced his body to obey him and ignore its natural inclination. He could just imagine Isabel's reaction if she woke up and realized that wasn't a reindeer antler poking her in the back. He rolled his eyes and ever so slowly eased his hips back, pushing back into the sofa as far as he could. _Please don't let her wake up,_ he sent a silent prayer to Buddha.

He was vaguely aware of the quiet voices and the muted sounds of dishes clanking together as he began a painfully tense and slow twist and slide to the end of the sofa, hoping to make it off of the couch before she woke up. He froze and held his breath when she shifted and sighed softly as she settled into the spot he had just vacated.

"Buddha, I swear I'll pray more and do better at keeping my soul open to your wisdom if you just get me off this couch with my dignity intact," he muttered under his breath. He was so busy trying to covertly disengage his feet from the covers so he could make his escape that it caught him off guard when something jingled behind him and at the same time Isabel suddenly shifted to sit up.

Isabel frowned sleepily as she braced her forearm along the back of the couch and stared at Kyle. He was perched in an awkward position at the other end and looked like he'd just gotten caught doing something he wasn't supposed to do. "Um… Kyle?"

He moved too quickly and ended up taking a dive rather than making the graceful exit he'd had planned. He landed on his back with a loud thud and for one stunned moment he stared up at the ceiling wondering just how it was he ended up in situations like this. The sound of laughter caught his attention and he turned his head to look at Maggie wearing her elf costume and holding Miss Cindy Bear. His gaze dropped when she shuffled her feet, causing the little bells on the tips of her pointy little toes to jingle.

"Kyle, you're so funny," she giggled.

He flipped over and started a demanding regimen of pushups before this situation managed to move any further from funny than it already was.

"Kyle, are you alright?" Isabel asked as she stood and moved to the end of the couch to look down at him.

"Sure, just doin' my mornin' exercise routine," he panted while keeping up a punishing pace. "I always do pushups right outta bed."

She looked at him skeptically. "Uh-huh, I don't recall that morning routine ever including you taking a swan dive."

"Like you'd know since you're usually still asleep when I get up."

"What's a swan dive?"

She rolled her eyes at him and turned to look at Maggie when the little girl voiced her curiosity. Her eyes shone brightly as she took in the outfit she was wearing. "Oh, wow, your costume is just beautiful."

"I know." Maggie stood even taller and grinned widely. "Mama made it with just her scissors an' needle an' thread." She stuck one foot out and shook it back and forth so that it jingled. "And look, she put jingle bells on my elf shoes too."

Kyle was grateful for the inanity of the Santa's elf costume conversation as he was finally able to haul himself up off of the floor, carefully shifting the waistband on his sweatpants to give him more room. "Think I'm gonna grab a quick shower before breakfast," he said with a grin at Maggie.

"Travis an' me made breakfast an' it's almost done."

He reached out and tugged the jingle bell hidden in the fluffy white ball at the end of her hat. "Sounds good."

"He's keeping them warm in the oven so when everyone gets here they can have hot pancakes."

Isabel smiled at Maggie as Kyle took off for the shower. She finished folding up the blankets and placed them at the end of the couch. "Are you all ready for rehearsal today?"

"Oh, yes! I can't wait for tomorrow when Santa finally comes an' Michael can give him my picture. You 'member the one I made for him of my puppy? He's gonna give it to Santa for me." Her eyes sparkled gleefully and she suddenly switched gears. "Oh, Isabel, may I put in the Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer DVD? Mama lets me do it if it's after nine o'clock. Just not before, that's not allowed." She hurried over to the living room clock, the bells on her toes jingling cheerfully. She stopped and looked up at it, frowning as she tried to make sense of the hands.

Isabel squinted at the clock on the wall and nodded. "Sure you can, just don't turn it up too loud, okay? Your mom and dad aren't up yet."

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Edward would've been hard-pressed to pin down what it was that roused him from a deep sleep. As his fuzzy mind slowly focused he began to identify the sounds of movement in the house: the footfalls coming down the hallway, the sound of the bathroom door creaking as it was opened and shut, and the quiet that reigned now that the wind was no longer howling and causing the windows to rattle. His eyes cracked open just enough to take notice of the gray light that was filtering into the room and heralded an overcast morning. No matter what it was that had woke him the fact was he was awake now.

_What day was it?_

After a week and a half of waking up alone before the dawn it was a shock to find himself in bed with his Julia sleeping peacefully beside him. He stretched, enjoying the movements, and in spite of the pleasure it gave him to settle against Julia and feel her skin against his, something felt off. There was a nagging thought just beyond his grasp that prevented him from fully enjoying the sight of his wife's deep auburn hair spilling over the ice skate print pillowcase. He rose up on his elbow to peer at the bedside clock, noting the time and day of the week.

_Just before nine on Friday morning._

He stared at the hand-carved woodpecker on the windowsill, a gift of apology presented to Julia a couple of summers back. His eyes were locked on it but he wasn't really seeing it as he tried to navigate his foggy mind to latch onto that nagging thought. He sighed and eased back into his warm spot under the covers, his arm settling around Julia's waist.

_Ah, it's Friday,_ he realized. _That meant it was rehearsal day for the big Christmas on the Lake event that would take place tomorrow._ He frowned. _No, that wasn't it._

He rolled onto his back, raising one arm up over his head and under the pillow as he began to tick off the previous day's events. It had been a long one that had started at breakfast when their guests had shown up late for the meal looking like they were coming from a funeral. _Especially Liz,_ he mused. One thought led to another and he frowned as he recalled the night before last. He had been watching when two of them had gotten into a physical confrontation only to be separated by Michael just before the door had closed and hidden them from view. _Odd,_ he thought, _if he were to choose which of the boys would be involved in a fight Max would've been his last choice._

His muscles tensed as he remembered Michael's demeanor as he and Maria had walked back to Grandma and Grandpa's cabin later that night. He had waited in the shadows of the garage, watching as Michael had turned and fixed his gaze on him with unerring accuracy. His hand flexed beneath his head as he recalled his intention to finally get some answers from his guests at dinner the night before.

_And what had happened to that plan?_

He sighed internally as he sorted through the cobwebs of his mind. They'd had dinner, all of his favorite foods and his comfortable recliner in front of the fire after a long day working in subzero temperatures. Later he'd offered to give Isabel a ride over to Mr. Tony's when she'd decided to go and check on Kyle. A ride she had turned down in spite of the excessively cold temperatures. Somewhere in there he'd decided he was gonna take a walk out to his woodworking studio/office to do a little surveillance when… He frowned as he tried to get a grasp on what had happened next.

_Of course,_ he thought and shook his head. Hot chocolate with little marshmallows, magic bars with walnuts, and Julia's shining eyes matching the smile she had turned on when she presented him with all of his favorite treats. He rolled his eyes and expelled the breath he hadn't realized he had been holding in. _Bingo, he'd been set up._

He was momentarily pulled out of his thoughts when the bathroom door creaked shut and the bed shifted when the sound caused Julia to stir. "One of these days, woman…" the words died on his lips when the covers slipped to expose her bare shoulder. Her eyes fluttered open and her face eased into a smile that effectively tamped down his annoyance with her obvious meddling tactics the night before.

Julia snuggled back down into the covers, watching Edward's low-lidded eyes as they shifted to settle on her. She wasn't a morning person by any means and she really hoped the look on his face was because he was sleep rather than anything else. _Maybe if she just went back to sleep,_ she thought, snuffling happily as her own eyes became heavy.

"Hey," he said, his voice raspy.

_Or not._ She stretched just enough to qualify her movements as a stretch. "Hey back." She felt the bed shift beneath her and she watched as Edward moved to lie right next to her. He pulled his hand from under his pillow and reached over to gently run his fingers through her hair.

"G'mornin'." His mind fumbled for what came next. After the past couple of weeks it was almost unprecedented to actually be in bed with her at the same time in the mornings. Here lately it was all about planning Christmas on the Lake, cooking, sewing, and coming up with chores for him to do. "Aren't we late getting up this morning?" he mumbled finally.

"No," she yawned, "we're not late. Rehearsal isn't 'til 11."

He tried to hide his grin as a thought occurred to him. He would be eternally grateful they'd had the master bathroom put in when he and her dad had built the house. "I could run us a shower," he offered, wiggling his eyebrows.

A slow smile crept across her face as she contemplated her wonderful guy's attempt to romance her. She snorted internally at that thought and then moved into a slow pleasurable stretch. "Hmm, not sure I'm so dirty I need a shower this morning," she said with a teasing grin.

His fingers moved from her hair to stroke her shoulder. "Who said anything about you bein' dirty?"

Her eyes locked on his as she bit her bottom lip. "I should probably make breakfast…"

His eyes glinted as they locked on her. "Breakfast is ready and that's not what I'm hungry for," he growled, making her laugh like the young girl he'd met as a teenager. He was reaching out to capture her in his arms when he was suddenly interrupted by his little girl singing along with the television. He unconsciously hummed along with her for a moment and that was all it took to identify the song and the video that had to be playing. We Are Santa's Elves. He'd never be able to get it out of his head now.

Julia smiled and reached for him when he hesitated. Her kiss was slow and enticing. "No worries, she has 16 more songs to go," she whispered as she broke the kiss.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Maria awoke to the cool air in the cabin and it barely registered that while the air was frosty it wasn't frigid the way it had been the night before. She stretched languorously and inhaled deeply, drawing in the freshest, cleanest breath she'd taken in a long while. Her sleepy gaze traveled over Michael's sleeping form that was wrapped around her. His long muscled legs were draped over hers, effectively keeping her from kicking the covers off and exposing them to the cold.

She smiled at the rasp of his skin against hers as she stretched again just for the enjoyment of it. How long had it been since they had slept together? You could sleep with someone without really sleeping with them. Emotional distance could put miles between a couple no matter how close they were physically. For so long the ghosts of past decisions had haunted them, creating an ever-widening chasm, but they had finally confronted them the night before and laid them to rest. _There was something to be said for sleeping without that weight bearing down on your shoulders,_ she mused as she shifted enough to face him. She reached up to let the tip of her forefinger trail down over his nose. Her thoughts slipped back to last Christmas as she studied him and she shook her head as she remembered part of that conversation.

"_Michael, no. I… look, I… I want to, but it's just… We're just gonna wake up tomorrow and things'll be… Like back to how they were._

_His expression had been uncomprehending of why that wasn't a good thing. "That's not a problem for me."_

She mentally kicked herself. _Just what the hell had she been thinking?_ She retraced her path and rubbed over the frown lines between his eyes, smiling when it eased with nothing more than her touch. No, this was where she wanted to be. It was where she'd always wanted to be. She shifted to run her hand lightly along his jaw line, carrying on the silent one-sided conversation. _I'm not going anywhere without you. I'm gonna make you see that every time you look at me._

Her mom's words floated across her mind, gently reminding her once again that Michael had stayed for her and given time he'd come around. Her heart filled to nearly bursting as she reveled in the peace of the night she had spent in Michael's arms. _Mom was right,_ she thought with a smile.

She shifted beneath the covers, loving the way her naked skin felt against his, and fully aware of where his hands were. Especially the one on her hip that slipped lower with her movements and created an instant burn that traveled across her nerve endings at lightening fast speed. The sensation spread to her core and her cheeks flushed deeply.

The quiet mew she gave in response caused Michael to stir and he sleepily opened his eyes. "Hey," he said, his voice gravelly.

She ducked her head. "Hey," her voice expressed the knowing smile on her face. Her hand slid down from his jaw to rest on his shoulder. "That was some talk, huh?"

He flexed the arm beneath her neck, curling it slightly to pull her closer. "Yeah." His dark eyes followed her every move as her hand ghosted over the scar that had been left after Max removed the King's seal. It was something she hadn't done in the past six months.

"I love you, Michael." She dipped her head, placing gentle kisses across the expanse of the scar.

"Maria."

Her heart filled once again in response to her name being whispered in a way that only he could say it. It had been so long since she'd heard it said in just that way. She kissed her way up to his lips and her eyes locked on his as she placed a finger against them to still the words. "I know," she said in a hushed voice.

He watched her, feeling his heart catch when she suddenly smiled and lifted herself up to look around the room. She turned her head and he craned his neck to brush his lips against hers before following her gaze. _Maggie's picture,_ he mused. The yellow puppy she wanted for Christmas. He had stuck it to the fridge with a magnet, the bright orange W that he had flipped around to make an M. He hadn't even realized he had done it until the next time he'd been in the kitchen and seen it.

"Oooh, Michael, it's rehearsal day and you know what that means."

He yawned and slumped back against the mattress, enjoying the view she presented. It was warmer in the cabin but there was still a chill in the air, he thought with a smirk as his gaze dipped lower. _It means we're a day closer to pulling out of here._ But he didn't vocalize the thought. "It means the Christmas Nazi's gonna be nagging everyone in earshot."

Maria rolled her eyes. "No, it means Santa's near and I can't wait to see Santa."

He couldn't help but smile at the way she jumped from one subject to another, making him think of the happy child she must've been. It was something he had always loved about her – the ability to enjoy life. He caught himself almost smiling from ear to ear and commanded his facial muscles to revert to their default setting – the crooked half-smile that didn't reveal very many teeth. "Yeah, well, he's got the day off. The fat man doesn't do rehearsals." His eyes darkened as he lost control of the grin. "But Snowflake does."

She turned her head to look at him. "Even Santa can't say no to Isabel."

He just snorted. "That's what you think"

"We'll see." He would never make it though the day without being assigned some rehearsal task and they both knew it. "We should head over to Max and Liz's so we can grab a shower."

He took her hand and pulled her down to rest against his chest. "Shower's not goin' anywhere," he murmured.

Maria grinned and leaned in for a short, noisy kiss. "Nope, but if we don't put in an appearance pretty soon we're gonna have a Christmas Nazi pounding on our front door and you know she won't be happy if she has to come get us and then wait while we grab a shower."

He growled deep in his chest, making her laugh when the rumbling sound radiated out and transferred itself to her body.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Max finished wiping down the countertops with the blue kitchen cloth and then switched to the yellow sponge to scrub out the stainless steel sink, his hands moving on autopilot as his mind saw his mom's kitchen at home. He smiled when he realized he was following her routine after washing dishes when dinner was done. The only thing missing was the rubber gloves and the fake manicured nails. He looked up as the sound of Liz's voice pulled him from thoughts of his mom. _Mom,_ he thought.

He took in his wife's appearance. She was freshly showered and dressed, towel drying her hair as she spoke to him.

"Hey, do you know what time we're supposed to be at the house to get ready for rehearsal?"

He thought back to last evening and shrugged. His focus had been on Liz and getting her to their cabin after all the stress at Kyle and Isabel's cabin. No, if rehearsal time had been mentioned he hadn't even been paying attention. He opened his mouth to reply and was interrupted by a knock at the door. He shot a quizzical look at Liz and then moved to answer the door. The knock came again, sharper and louder this time. He peered through the front window to get a glimpse of who was standing at the door just in time to see Michael take a step back to wrap his arm around Maria. "It's Michael and Maria," he said as he opened the door.

Liz straightened up and smiled, shaking out the towel she had been using to dry her hair as their friends entered. It was clear they were cold but there was a feeling of genuine warmth between them that she hadn't seen in a long time. It had her wanting to get the scoop on what had changed between their ugly fight the night before and this morning. She flashed a look at Max as their friends stomped their boots to free them from excess snow and began to shrug out of their outerwear.

He nodded and looked at Michael. "Hey, so how's it goin'?"

_Damn. Just as he had expected, the King and Queen's place was nice and warm,_ he thought with a smirk. "Cold, Maxwell."

Maria snorted. "I think our cabin's colder than your dad's walkin at the café, Liz."

Michael shook his head. "More like a meat locker, especially the bathroom." He started to insist on using their shower but thought better of it when he looked at his girlfriend. "You think we can borrow your shower?"

Something lifted inside of Liz as she observed her best friend with her boyfriend. She couldn't help but feel the smile that spread across her face. "Sure. I'll get the towels out of the dryer." She looked over shoulder at Maria. "Who's first?"

He stuck his thumbs in his pockets and tipped his head in Maria's direction. "You go ahead. I need to talk to Max."

She nodded. "Yeah, I wanted to talk to Liz anyway." With a soft smile at him she turned to follow Liz from the room.

The guys were silent as they watched the girls disappear through the bathroom door.

"Girls, huh?" Michael's asked, his eyes locked on the doorway Maria and Liz had disappeared through. "Ever wonder what they do in there?"

Max snorted but didn't comment. Instead he thought about his friend's 180-degree turn from the night before. It was obvious something major had changed. It was different from their past we're-over-it-and-getting-back-together sessions. It seemed more like a real reconciliation than a truce the way it had in the past. "So, you and Maria?"

"Yeah."

"What changed?"

Michael rolled his shoulders. "We just went back to our cabin and I told her that we had to talk. That's pretty much it."

Max's eyebrows lifted in astonishment and he just barely managed to stop his jaw from dropping when he caught his best friend's wide grin. He couldn't help the big snort that escaped though. "Coffee?" he offered.

"Sounds good."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Liz watched Maria as she brushed her hair in front of the full length mirror that hung on the bathroom door that had just closed behind Michael. She heard the water come on just as Maria ran her hand through her hair, the recently blow-dried locks slipping through her fingers like shimmering threads of silk. Her thoughts momentarily went back to the stressful evening before. The jealous feelings she'd had in response to learning that Maria had seen her mom came to mind and reminded her of how badly she'd felt afterwards.

But that was last night.

Things had changed. She had felt better after talking to Max earlier. But with the shocking civility of Michael's knock on the door she had known they were all finding their way back together. Watching her best friend walk into the cabin, at ease with Michael in a way she hadn't been in such a long time had caused her heart to lift. She couldn't hold back the smile as Maria put the finishing touches on her appearance.

Maria glanced up and caught Liz watching her and she smiled as their eyes locked in the mirror. "What?"

"So… you and Michael, you guys talked, huh?" she asked with a soft smile.

"Is it that obvious?" She was so happy she could've burst from it. "Yeah, we did."

Liz grabbed one of the decorative pillows and moved to lean back against the headboard as she made a spot for Maria. "So tell me what happened," she said as she patted the mattress. "When you guys took off last night I wouldn't have imagined a conversation in your near future."

"Right?" Maria snorted and joined Liz on the bed. "I don't know exactly. It started out as an argument. Big surprise, right? But at some point I was yelling at him and I realized it was the same old song and dance we'd done a hundred times before. Neither of us was listening or even talking to each other. It was sad, ya know? I was just standing there, looking at him, and all I could think was I wanted more than that for us, if there was gonna be an us." She looked around the room before wiggling around to get comfortable. "I knew before we got back in that van to leave we had to know where we stood with each other. We both knew it, really."

Liz nodded in understanding.

"But we really talked to each other, Liz. Stuff came out that neither of us has wanted to talk about, stuff that we didn't wanna talk about, and when it was finally out, Michael forgave me." She snapped her fingers to demonstrate. "In an instant, just like that." She shook her head slowly. "That weight I feel like I've been carrying around in my heart for hurting him the way I did, it's finally gone. I've never felt so free or so sure of us, and I could kick myself for ever breaking up with him."

Liz shifted and opened her mouth to speak but before she could something fell in the bathroom and after several muffled curses they looked at each other and started to giggle. After several long seconds they calmed and she looked at Maria, her expression serious once more. "Maria, have you ever considered that maybe what you guys went through was necessary to get to a place where you were able to confront the cracks in your relationship?" She watched Maria's features as she mulled over her question.

"You're probably right," she said after several moments of contemplation. "Before last night we couldn't even really fight about it so there's no way we could've really talked about it the way we did." She rolled over to face Liz. "He even brought up Courtney on his own. I didn't even have to prod him or throw it out there after he said something that just pissed me off, which is what usually happens."

She lowered her voice as she continued. "As uncomfortable as it was watching him struggle with his feelings about her, and as much as I was dreading what he was gonna say, in that moment I could just feel how much he loved me. Him being willing to try to talk about it or at least acknowledge what happened with her, it made it so easy for me to just let it go."

Liz thought about the conversation between her and Max when they had finally discussed Zan. Being open with each other had really helped them to find peace, feel hope, accept the past for what it was, and it had allowed them to find their new normal. Yeah, dealing with unresolved issues from the past really was necessary if moving forward was ever going to be an option.

"It sounds like you guys really made some progress this time."

Maria sighed happily. "Yeah, I think we're ready to go when it's time."

They sat up and leaned back against the headboard. "I'm really happy for you guys, Maria."

"Thanks, Chica, I can't tell you how freeing it is to really be with Michael, to finally have that weight off of me." She rolled her eyes. "I don't know why I thought I had to give him up to be me." She shook her head slowly. "All it did was hurt both of us and that's never what I wanted."

"Even though he was hurt, I think deep down he knew that." Liz reached over and took her hand, squeezing it. "And from the looks and sounds of things you guys are on the right path."

"Thanks, I'm happy." Maria's smile faded a bit as she shifted to brush her hair behind her ear, her fingertips momentarily brushing over her naked earlobe. "Liz, about last night, ya know when I was a wreck in the bathroom? I'm sorry you found out I'd seen my mom like that. I know how much you miss your mom."

"It's okay, Maria. I mean, yeah, I miss Mom and Dad so much, but I'm glad you were able to see your mom."

Maria pulled Liz into a hug and rested her chin on her shoulder. "There's one more thing I should tell you. Mom, for some reason she had the pearl earrings Michael gave me for Christmas. Last night I found them in my coat pocket so she must've slipped them in there." She felt her friend tense and she held her tighter. "You're gonna see them again, Chica, I can feel it. Christmas is a time of miracles; we just have to believe it. And I believe it, Liz, now more than ever."

Liz nodded and sniffled quietly. She did believe in miracles and seeing her parents again was probably the biggest miracle she could think of right now. But as much as she believed, she just couldn't see it in the near future.

The silence that fell between them was interrupted by several loud pops in rapid succession followed by muttered cursing.

"Everything's fine, I've got it under control," Michael yelled from the bathroom.

The girls pulled apart to look at each other.

"Do we dare ask?" Liz asked.

"I told him to wipe the shower down after he got out." She covered her face with one hand and shook her head. "I have a feeling he didn't use the method I told him to use."

"What'd he – "

She was interrupted by a loud thud accompanied by yet another round of colorful cursing before he barked out another 'I'm fine'.

Maria used her sleeve to wipe her eyes as she chuckled. "That would be Santa forgetting to put a towel on the floor to step out on."

The door was jerked open and the steam from the hot shower quickly escaped, billowing around Michael as he stood in the doorway, rubbing his head with one hand and holding several of the tiles from the shower wall in the other. "Gonna need the wrangler to wrangle up some reindeer glue for these."

"Did you seriously blow up the shower?" Max asked as he joined them.

"I'm not about to wipe down or squeegee a shower wall." Michael glared at him. "I've never heard anything like that in my life."

"It helps prevent that black furry stuff from growing in your shower. Trust me, Santa, no one likes that." He took the tiles from Michael and shoved him out of the way. "Especially not Mrs. Santa," he said with a meaningful look.

Michael just shook his head and snapped his fingers. "Snowflake, Candy Cane, let's get a move on."

Before the girls had time to respond they heard a familiar thud from the bathroom and just a moment later Max was once again standing in the doorway, his shirt and jeans wet in several spots. "It's not bad enough you blew tiles off the wall, you couldn't even dry the floor?"

Michael looked at him, his gaze moving up and down. "Looks like you've got that under control."

Max ground his back teeth together for a solid minute before he nodded. "I'm tellin' Isabel what you said about reindeer glue. You think you're gonna be untouched by this stupid rehearsal she insists on having today, but you're not."

"Whatever."

"Reindeer glue, Michael."

Liz and Maria collapsed in a fit of giggles as their guys stared each other down without a single hint of animosity or hostility. It was just a show, a flexing of muscles so to speak, and it was just further proof that things were really right between all of them.


	54. Chapter 54

**Part 54**

Michael leaned up against the kitchen doorway, arms crossed over his chest, and his expression one of boredom as he waited and watched. His position gave him a perfect view of both the front and rear entrances to Mr. Tony's house as well as the closed door to the laundry room. The fingers of his right hand drummed against his upper left arm as he waited impatiently for Max to emerge from the depths of the small room that smelled like laundry soap and some kind of scented dryer sheets. He scratched the side of his head against the doorframe and smirked slightly as he realized that not only was Max going to be prancing around in tights, he was going to smell all fresh and clean. _Like a spring meadow,_ he thought as the slogan for some laundry detergent commercial crossed his mind.

His gaze shifted over to the girls, bouncing dismissively over Liz's costumed form to lock on Maria. He had seen bits and pieces of the costumes of course, but that was before Isabel had bestowed her personal touch on them. He could identify denim, flannel, and well, tee shirt material, whatever it was, but he had no clue what she had used to create the costumes. It looked soft and his hands were just itching to see if it was anywhere close to being as soft as the skin it covered. She shifted, drawing his attention to her legs that were encased in some kind of green tights decorated with glittering snowflakes. He knew from his brief passing glance that the ones Liz wore were different only in that they were decorated with glittering candy canes.

The girls were gathered around the table with Isabel as they ooh-ed and ah-ed over the 3D model the Christmas Nazi and her co-organizer, Mrs. Dana, had created. He had no idea why this much planning was needed for what basically amounted to a nauseatingly overdone party. Battle strategies had probably been planned down to the most minute detail without this much fanfare.

He rolled his eyes and shifted restlessly as he listened to Isabel's Christmas psychosis shift into full swing. All he wanted was for this absurdity of a rehearsal to be done so he could spend some time with Maria. They were facing a serious time crunch and as far as he was concerned, all of these little extracurricular activities were just putting more stress on an already overtaxed situation. They needed to focus on the meeting with the Sheriff after the insanity of tomorrow's festivities and their subsequent departure the following morning.

His thoughts drifted back to their morning that had been cut short as he watched the animated expression on Maria's face. She was talking to Liz mostly and as she gestured with such energy he realized it only enhanced the shining radiance that seemed to surround her. Like the others she had gotten lost in this crazy Christmas nonsense.

"_I love you, Michael."_

He lifted his hand to settle over the scar as he remembered the feel of her lips gently moving over the rough patch of flesh. He was quickly losing the battle to keep his need for her under control. He shifted again and shot a glance at Kyle, hoping to see him urging Isabel to wrap things up so they could get the day moving. The sooner it was started the sooner it would be over. But did the ungrateful gnome cooperate? No, he only encouraged her interest in the days' events and it nearly pushed him over the edge.

He moved to stand next to the laundry room door and rapped his knuckles on the wood insistently. "How long does it take to put on some tights, a sweater, and a friggin' hat, Maxwell?" he growled. "You've been in there long enough to dress Santa's entire elf department."

Inside the laundry room Max barely caught himself before he snapped out an irritated "bite me". He shuffled to the door, feeling like he had lost the ability to bend his knees thanks to the tights he was trying to pull on. His earlier thoughts of banging his head on the wall came to fruition when he tripped and smacked his forehead against the door. That was enough to cause his entire face to flush bright red even though no one had been there to witness it. He cursed under his breath and finished the arduous task of putting tights on before stepping back and yanking the door open.

"Two words, Michael," he snarled under his breath, "Reindeer glue."

He stood there staring at his friend and gave a valiant effort to not just laugh in his face. The costume that had been enhanced by the Christmas Nazi's own hands now came complete with a scratchy-looking tunic that dropped down to cover his um… essentials. Personally he was grateful for the addition because anything else would've just been too much information. His gaze lifted to the elf hat that topped off the entire outfit and he just nodded when he saw the jingle bell attached to the end. It was while he was biting the inside of his cheek hard enough to nearly draw blood that he realized the room had gone dead silent.

That was immediately interrupted by Isabel as she joined them. "What was that, Michael?"

_Crap!_ He turned to meet her intense stare as he took a step back. "What?" He could hear Max snickering behind him but as far as he was concerned he'd have the last laugh because he wasn't the one prancing around in festive holiday tights and wearing a pointy little hat with a jingle bell.

Isabel's eyes narrowed but her lips pulled up in a smile that just dared him to repeat what had just been said. "Reindeer…?" she asked, doing her best to lead him into the trap.

Across the room Kyle was rubbing his face and trying to avoid laughing out loud. He shot a glance at his friend who was doing his level best to not be pinned down for his remarks. He was enjoying the show as Michael tried his best to avoid Isabel's clutches and she was having so much fun trying to nail him for the comment that he just didn't have the heart to step in. This was much better than her quiet, introspective mood at breakfast as they had been surrounded by all of the couples that seemed to be so close.

Michael crossed the room to sit down next to Maria, buying time as his gaze zeroed in on the Christmas cookie tins at the center of the table. He glanced over his shoulder when he heard the impatient toe-tapping that indicated her highness was still waiting for an answer. "Wrangler," he barked. "Reindeer Wrangler, okay?"

Liz cracked a smile when she caught Maria's gaze.

Kyle was still watching Michael as he snatched one of the tins that Julia had placed on the table before they had arrived, wondering if he should warn him that they had been put there expressly to thaw for the next day. The guy was so confident that he had no role beyond tomorrow's expectation that he arrive wearing the fat man's suit. _Confidence or denial?_ His musings were interrupted when Maria spoke up.

"Michael, what're you doing?! Those cookies are clearly out to thaw for tomorrow."

Next to drying the tub after a shower that was the next most absurd thing he'd ever heard. Thawing cookies? Why would you freeze them in the first place? He gave her a knowing look accompanied by a snort as he plowed through the cookies, searching for the perfect sugary, buttery treat. His big hand paused when he found a snowman missing its head. "Looks like this one goes first," he said and bit into the cookie.

Maria just stared at him, fighting back a smile when he grinned and mumbled around a mouthful of cookie that it wasn't frozen, it was perfectly thawed. She shook her head when he didn't even finish chewing the first one before he began pawing through the tin for his next treat. "How can you be hungry after three plates of pancakes, six sausage patties, and four cups of hot chocolate for breakfast?" she asked incredulously.

He didn't miss a beat as he plucked out a reindeer cookie and leaned back to pull a small bottle of hot sauce out of his front pocket. He opened it up and liberally sprinkled the hot liquid onto the sugary treat and gave her a brief glance. "Hey, Snowflake, what are you, the Christmas cookie police?"

She gave him a disbelieving look. "Where'd you get that bottle?" She pointed at the evidence that was plain as day. "That's premeditation, buddy!"

Michael leveled his gaze on her and placed the bottle on the table as he slowly and deliberately shoved the rest of the cookie in his mouth. He chewed it slowly, savoring the blend of flavors on his tongue as he leaned towards her, his eyes locked on her lips. His voice was low to keep the words between them and husky enough to make her shiver when he murmured, "I'm still hungry, Snowflake."

Kyle lifted the planner a good 10 inches off of the table and dropped it, hoping to break up the moment between his friends. When that didn't seem to phase them he looked to Liz for help.

"You're on your own," she said, familiar enough with Michael and Maria's moments to know when to leave them alone. "I think I'll go check on Max."

Isabel just rolled her eyes, unconcerned with interrupting their moment or with their annoyance over said interruption. "You two should get a room."

Michael's gaze remained locked on Maria. "You're right, but Snowflake is on elf duty today."

Maria looked over at Isabel and then back to Michael, so ready to wipe that know-in-all smirk off of his face. "Well, the same can be said for Santa."

He just shook his head. "Santa doesn't do rehearsal, Snowflake."

And that was his cue. Kyle stood and reached for the planner, his laughing eyes meeting Isabel's as he held it out. "Planner?"

She returned his grin. "Why, thank you, Mr. Valenti." Her eyes flashed at Michael as she unsnapped the leather strap that bound the covers together and reached inside for the pen. She began sorting through the list, checking off a few of the items and moving to the bottom of the page to tack on a few new things as they came to mind. She peered over the top of the planner and flashed a smile at Michael. "Did you happen to notice just how beautifully made Maggie's little costume is?"

He shrugged one shoulder and snapped a cookie in half. "What, you want a parade in your honor?"

She rolled her eyes. "I didn't make it. Julia made it with her own hands," she said with a bright smile. "Of course, that's most likely due to the fact that her sewing machine is at our cabin as a cover."

"Not really seein' your point."

She stared at him for a minute, her jaw working as she tried to come up with a suitable response. "Anyway, according to the planner you have an appointment with the Reindeer Whisperer."

"No."

"Um-hmm," she went on as if he hadn't spoken. "You'll need to learn how to handle the reins so you don't scare the children by being dragged through their midst."

"Yeah, not gonna happen. This Santa isn't reindeer friendly. He's a little more up-to-date. You wanna turn one of those fleabags into a Chevelle we can talk. Otherwise, you can go suck on a pine cone."

Maria turned to look at him, ready with a response, but it was cut short when she saw his facial muscles shift as his body tensed. Her senses went on alert in response to his demeanor and she immediately picked up on the sound of the front doorknob turning. She turned in time to see the door fly open and absentmindedly noticed Kyle shifting to put himself between Isabel and whoever was coming through the door.

Maggie's face was pale beneath the flush that nearly matched the red of her costume as she rushed into the room. Her eyes shone with tears as the words burst out of her so quickly that it was difficult to put the words together at first.

"What's wrong with Cupid?" Maria asked as she knelt down in front of the little girl.

"You gotta come quick!" She rubbed the back of one gloved hand over her eyes. "Stefanie needs help with him."

Julia came in behind her upset daughter, her tone of voice gentle and low as she knelt down to meet Maggie's eyes. "Honey, it's okay. Stefanie and Travis know how to handle him."

"But he's scared, Mama. He ran outta the barn when she tried to put his harness on an' he's so close to the driveway."

Maria glanced back at Michael and Max, her own voice soothing as she spoke up. "Don't you worry, Maggie, we have Santa's Reindeer Wrangler here. And," she held her hand out in her boyfriend's direction, gesturing for him to join them, "your Captain of the Guard's here too." She lowered her voice. "He knows Santa, remember?"

_Yeah, that's right, Snowflake,_ Michael thought with an internal growl, _just tell her how I'm gonna go out and save that fleabag._ He wouldn't though. He had rules. And putting himself out in front of a crazed four-legged coat rack was on the list of things he didn't do.

Maggie inhaled raggedly as she looked past Santa's special elves to let her watery gaze rest on the guys. She brought her sniffling under control and the trembling in her chin settled as her eyes locked on her Captain. "Please come help Cupid? He's so scared."

And there went every one of his rules about four-legged coat racks. Without consulting his brain about his opinion, he felt his feet take the few short steps over to Maggie and he saluted. "Your Captain, reporting for duty, Princess Maggie."

Julia looked up at Michael and mouthed a thank you.

Michael gave a sharp nod in her direction and then turned to Max. "Princess Maggie requires the aid of Santa's Reindeer Wrangler." It wasn't a question it was an order from the Princess' Captain of the Guard.

Isabel bit down a laugh, working hard to stifle a snort at the expression on her brother's face.

He reached for Maggie's hand as Maria stood to meet him. "Lead the way, Princess Maggie."

Travis, Stefanie, and Cupid came into view the moment they came around the corner of the barn and he glanced down when her gloved fingers tightened around his. He stopped and held his hand out behind him to warn the others coming up behind him, wanting them out of the animal's line of sight just in case.

Maggie shifted and the quiet sound of the jingle bells drew his gaze to her more so than the movement. He reached down and picked her up, silencing the tiny alarms. His eyes never left Cupid's position as he spoke quietly, "We need to be very quiet and still."

She wrapped her arm around his neck tightly and leaned in to whisper in his ear, "Yes, my Captain."

It only took a moment for Michael to size up the situation. Although Stefanie had Cupid's lead rope and her brother was slowly working his way towards her to give her a hand it was clear the reindeer was still uneasy. His broad hooves pawed the ground and his eyes moved to Travis, noting the cautious way he slowed his approach to a stop.

_How did he get into these situations?_ "Is Cupid doin' any better since you saw him a few minutes ago?"

Maggie watched the reindeer, her eyes widening when he shook his head, snorting loudly and expelling a loud breath that hung in the air for a moment before dissipating. She nodded slowly and then looked at Michael. "He's still too close to the driveway though."

He shifted the little girl in his arms and turned to talk to the Reindeer Wrangler. "Got a plan that doesn't involve me getting run over by a ton of muscle?"

"Pretty sure he doesn't weigh anywhere close to that," Kyle spoke up from his position leaning against the side of the barn. "Stefanie was saying they – "

"Stuff a sock in it, Secretary," he growled quietly. "I was talkin' to Santa's Chief Reindeer Wrangler."

Max just made a face at his sister before shifting his gaze back to Michael. His first thought was going out there in the outfit he had been stuck with would probably be enough to scare the reindeer into flight, but he decided against sharing that. "We need to think this out before we do anything."

"Yes," Kyle agreed with a solemn expression on his face. It almost hurt to keep a straight face as he lifted his gaze to the jingle bell dangling from the hat of Antar's leading royal family member. "Yes, thinking it through, that's probably the wisest thing we could do right now."

Michael ignored the two of them as he mentally calculated just how much money he'd have lining his pockets if he got paid every time Max made one of those comments. He was just about to roll his eyes to punctuate his thoughts when Maggie suddenly shifted. "What is it?" he asked, eyebrows unconsciously lifting as her eyes grew wide and her mouth moved.

"Ohhhh," she uttered, dragging the word out, "maybe we can get Cupid to come into the barn with some of Mama's Christmas cookies." She looked at him, her expression completely serious. "Like in my movie, _Prancer_." She looked at Mama over his shoulder. "Mama, may we have some Christmas cookies?"

_Yeah, let's feed it,_ he thought. _Load it up on cookies, because if it's not crazy now, it will be after a sugar rush._ He gave himself a mental shake and studied the reindeer, noting his demeanor and realizing he could identify with that feeling of being closed in. Travis was about five feet from getting his hands on the lead rope and his sister was the only thing between Cupid and the driveway that led out to the busy road. It was time to do something.

He slowly and carefully set Maggie back down on her own two feet, one hand on her shoulder to keep her beside him and prevent her from bolting out to help with Cupid. "The cookies on the kitchen table," he said as he looked at Julia, "they out for tomorrow? The Princess may be onto something with her idea; she may just need to procure some for Plan B," he said, giving her a wink.

"They were put out as refreshments for Santa's special elves and helpers as they dressed for rehearsal. I told Edward and the boys they were out thawing for tomorrow's event." She stretched a hand out for her daughter. "I'll take the Princess up to the house for the cookies just in case Plan B needs to be enacted."

Maggie's lower lip trembled for a brief moment as she stared at Mama's hand. "But, what if the Captain needs me and I'm not here?"

Michael gave Julia a quick smile and hunkered down in front of Maggie. "I'm gonna talk to Santa's Reindeer Wrangler and get Plan A goin'." He reached up and pressed one gloved finger to the tip of her nose for a moment. "Your job's to get those cookies just in case we need to move on to Plan B." He grinned at her. "Every good soldier knows you've gotta have a backup plan just in case Plan A doesn't work out the way you think it should."

She looked at Cupid and then back at Michael, wiping her gloved hand over her eyes and nodding before whispering a solemn, "Okay."

Maria came up behind Michael as Maggie and Julie walked back to Mr. Tony's house and she stretched up on her tiptoes to get a look at Cupid. She pressed her lips together tightly and took a deep breath, exhaling slowly and forcing her mouth to relax. "Michael, what're you gonna do? I know he's not like huge or anything, but he does have antlers."

"I'm not gonna do anything," he said with a look in Max's direction. "Got a reindeer wrangler here and last I heard he was thinking up a plan."

Max shot a look at him. "Hey, I didn't ask for this, remember? This foolishness is all Isabel's idea."

Liz reached over and placed a hand on her husband's arm. "Max, maybe you can help. You remember when Rudy was chewing on Cindy's scarf and you managed to get it free? Even though you gave him a little nudge he responded well to you afterwards. Maybe if you can get eye contact with him you could form a connection like you do when you heal."

He glanced at the reindeer, trying not to lose focus by counting every point on the antlers sprouting from the animal's head. His eyes softened as he met her hopeful gaze. "Liz, it doesn't work that way. Even if I could get him to look at me without bolting I have to touch him in order to connect. Besides, I've never tried it on an animal before."

"That's not true," Isabel offered helpfully. "Mom has that video of you healing a bird."

Kyle stretched his neck and rolled his shoulders. "Looks like Plan A bombed so that leaves us with Plan B." He rubbed his hands together as his gaze bounced between Max and Michael. "So which one of you plans to go out there and have cookie time with Cupid?"

Michael glared at him, the force of it easily outmatching that of both Max and Isabel.

"What?" He shrank back with a small but irrepressible grin. "What'd I say? Always seems to work on you, Mi Capitan, and when it comes to moods I'd say you easily leave Cupid in the dust."

"Look."

Maria and Liz' hushed voices interrupted before Michael could respond and the others turned to follow their pointing fingers to look at the scene unfolding before them. Travis carefully wrapped one gloved hand around the lead rope dangling from Cupid's halter and Stefanie was petting the side of the reindeer's neck as her brother held his free hand out, palm side up, offering a shiny red apple. They all held their breath, releasing it collectively when Cupid snorted and tossed his head lightly before accepting the treat.

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Maggie walked into the barn and looked around, her eyes bouncing from the white lights interspersed with the garland that decorated the rafters to the activity around the reindeer pen. For a moment her gaze was pulled away and excitement fluttered in her chest when she saw Santa's chair holding its prominent position in the center of the barn. She knew the tables set up around the large area would be filled to overflowing the next day, weighed down with cookies and hot cider.

She looked up at Mama and tugged on her hand. "Mama, can I go see Cupid?"

Julia smiled as she met her daughter's eager expression. "I don't know, can you?"

"Oh," she smiled and she twisted and turned on the balls of her feet, "may I?"

"Why don't we give him just a few minutes to settle back in first?" she suggested in that tone that made it clear the question wasn't really a question at all.

Maggie heaved a weighted sigh. "Okay." She pulled her hand free to point across the room. "But Max is going over."

"Honey, Max is a grown man." She bit back the smile that wanted so badly to surface when her little girl wrinkled her nose and turned back to watch Max. It was only a matter of moments before she was distracted again.

"Well, can I go see Michael? I can take the cookies to him." She held up the little baggie holding a cookie for Cupid and a couple for her Captain.

"Go ahead, just stay back until I let you know it's alright to go over to see Cupid."

Maggie kicked a pile of straw out of her way as she moved over to stand next to Michael. She didn't know why Mama had to say no. If it was okay for Max to go then it was okay for her to go too. She sighed heavily and her eyes stared at the jingle bells on her toes. Boys always got to have the most fun!

"What's that look for, Princess Maggie?" Michael asked when he felt the little hand slip into his and he looked down to see her bottom lip sticking out as she stared across the barn. He turned to scoop her up in his arms, settling her against his side as he shifted to follow her gaze. "Oh, you're wantin' to go see Cupid, right?"

"Yeah, but Mama said not 'til she said it's okay."

He nodded and kept his own expression serious. "Yeah, Moms are like that sometimes."

"Why?" She pointed at Max. "Cupid's being nice to him."

Michael chuckled and watched his friend as he paused in front of the reindeer that was now calmly munching on an apple. He knew when Max reached out to pet the animal and he saw the way he was staring into the dark eyes watching his every move that he was forming a connection with Cupid. "Funny thing about that is most people, and animals too, seem to respond well to Max. But I'm sure once he's had some time to visit we'll be able to go over and see him."

"I don't wanna see Max."

"No," he laughed, "we'll go over and see Cupid. If your mom says it's okay, of course." He patted her back. "Once she sees how well behaved he is with Max I bet she'll say yes."

"Okay."

It didn't take long before Max finished his visit and he started to walk away, only to be summoned by Isabel. She was manically checking things off in her planner, once again with Kyle's full support and encouragement. She went over something with both of them for a minute or two and then sent Kyle off on an errand. Michael wondered what she was telling him when her expression turned serious but his attention was pulled away by Maggie tugging on his collar.

"What's up?"

She pointed at Maria and Liz who were busy discussing something else a few feet away, motioning at the tables and nodding as they came to an agreement about whatever it was. "Look," she whispered. "Look at their clothes."

He cleared his throat. "Yo, Snowflake, Candy Cane, front and center."

Maria just turned her head, flashing a condescending smile at him. "Can we help you?"

His right hand stretched out and he pointed at the floor in front of him. "Got a special elf over here that noticed your outfits." And if this day didn't end soon one of those outfits was either gonna kill him or get him in serious trouble.

She grinned when she saw his gaze roving over her elf costume and quickly decided she needed to shift his focus elsewhere. She and Liz moved to join them and she reached up to take Maggie's hand when the little girl leaned forward to run her hand over the shoulder of her outfit.

"You're secret elves," she whispered reverently.

Liz pressed her forefinger to her lips. "Shhh," she hushed, "we can't tell anyone."

Maggie's eyes widened. "But your work for HIM."

Michael chuckled at the little girl's wondrous tone. "Someone has to fetch Santa's Snapple and make sure he gets a good foot rub."

The little girl made a face and looked at the girls. "You gotta rub his feet?"

"It's a dirty job but someone has to do it," Maria said with a nod.

"Hey, the guy's feet probably hurt at the end of the day after lugging around those heavy boots for hours on end."

"Oh, yeah, bet they hurt a lot, huh?" Maggie sympathized. "So you gotta rub 'em real good, okay?"

He just grinned when the girls exchanged a look and then gave Maggie a smile and a promise to do just that.

"I'm not rubbing his feet," Liz muttered under her breath.

Michael turned his head to look at her, lowering his voice so it wouldn't carry to Maggie. "You have a Reindeer Wrangler who's likely to have chafed body parts after wearing those tights all day." He grinned unrepentantly. "You're probably gonna have other things to rub."

She made a face at him. "If I were you, I'd watch it. Isabel doesn't need much encouragement to have you doing all kinds of things today and it wouldn't take much to drag today out. I'm sure we'd all make the sacrifice just to see her having you jump through hoops."

"Michael? Michael?" Maggie yanked on his collar to get his attention. "Can we go see Cupid now?"

He glared at Liz. "You try to drag this out and you'll spend all day tomorrow itching," he growled before turning his head to smile at the little girl he held. "Cupid, right. Let's go make sure it's okay with your mom and then we'll take him a cookie."

Liz rolled her eyes when he walked away and she smiled at Maggie when the little girl waved at them over his shoulder. "You do realize he's still… Michael," she grumbled finally.

Maria just laughed and nodded. "Yeah, I know." Her eyes softened as she watched him talking to Julia before he and Maggie went over to the pen where Stefanie was standing next to Cupid.

Cupid was chewing on an apple, his teeth grinding it up and making a loud crunching sound as they approached. The dark eyes, so soft and warm now that he was once again calm, watched them curiously, and he made a sound low in his throat when Stefanie reached up to rub his neck.

"May we give Cupid a cookie?" Maggie asked when they were close enough to speak without startling the reindeer or his handler.

"Sure, I think he'd like that," Stefanie said with a smile. She showed the little girl how to hold it so he wouldn't accidentally nip her little fingers.

"So what happened back there?" Michael watched every move the reindeer made closely, ready to intervene if Cupid did anything that might risk his little Princess's safety.

She smiled and gently ran her hands over Cupid's shoulder and neck. "If you look you can see the scars where he was hurt." She nodded when he shifted to follow her direction. "Sometimes he gets a little spooked when we're harnessing him, the straps settle over the scarred areas and it triggers a fear response. See, when he received these injuries he was trapped by barbed wire and it kept him immobilized. The harder he fought against it, the worse he got hurt."

Michael reached up and rubbed his chest unconsciously. "But he's safe to have around the kids tomorrow?"

"Oh, yeah, he'll be harnessed well before people start arriving. Once he's ready and he's had a little time to adjust he's fine. We wouldn't bring him if he was gonna spook and scare the kids." She winked. "Not to mention, we don't want him to take off running with Santa at the reins." He swallowed hard as his gaze moved over the reindeer and she laughed as she reached out to pat his arm. "Don't worry, Santa's always in perfect control. He has elves that make sure everything runs the way it should."

"Great," he muttered. _They wouldn't really put Cupid in the rig to pull the sleigh would they?_

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Max stomped his boots on the tiny porch outside of the cabin Isabel and Kyle were sharing and did his best to ignore the grumbling coming from behind him. Was it his fault his sister had decided it was time to redecorate her cabin and she had chosen them to do all the heavy lifting? He probably could've dealt with the rest of it, but like Michael, crossing the snow-covered driveway and hauling Julia's sewing machine up to the main house hadn't been anywhere on his agenda today. However, that didn't mean he was having fun listening to Michael still griping about it after the fact.

"Just for the record," he muttered as he turned to look at his friend, "I didn't enjoy that either. But it's what Isabel wanted so what was I supposed to say?"

"Uh, the word no comes to mind."

"Yeah, and it's worked so well for you every time you've said no to her since we got here." He smirked. "Or practically every time you've said no to her since we were six years old."

"I'm not the one who was standin' there with my head bobbin' up an' down, agreeing to what she wanted like a mindless drone. And that's fine, if you wanna be a mindless drone, go for it, but don't drag me into it with you."

Max just rolled his eyes and turned the door knob. "Look, if you wanna tell her we're not gonna rearrange the cabin, then take your life in your own hands and tell her. You know how she gets when she has her mind set on something."

He followed Max inside. "I have no problem tellin' her. Someone needs to set her straight – "

"Tell me what?" Isabel asked, one eyebrow lifted in question.

Michael opened his mouth to unload on her but before he could get the first word out she turned around and started consulting the almighty planner once again.

"Alright, the first thing I want you to do is move the smaller furniture out of Kyle's room."

Max gawked at her. "Say what?"

"You'll need room to take the bunk beds down and reassemble them as a single unit. Kyle works too hard to be cramming himself into one of those tiny beds every night." She smiled and checked an item off of her list. "Oh, and when you're finished with that you'll need to put all of the other furniture back."

"What's the point?" Michael muttered.

"Excuse me?"

"Clean your ears out, you insane party planner. We're leavin' day after tomorrow. At first light we're outta here. You can have your little Christmas thing and then we're gone. That was the deal. So what I'm wantin' to know is why adjust things now? He's been bunkin' in here with no problem so far, what's a couple more nights?"

She waved the hand wielding the pen dismissively. _They were not leaving before Christmas,_ she thought adamantly. "Like I said, smaller furniture out first. It shouldn't take long, there really isn't that much and there are two of you." She snapped the planner closed and pivoted on her heel as she took in the room around them. "Alright, get to work. Kyle will only be busy helping Edward and the boys move things to the bowling alley for so long." She handed a sheet of paper to her brother and graced him with a smile. "I'll leave the diagram with you since I know you won't tear it up and throw it away like some people." She leveled a look on Michael, who only shrugged. "Now, I need to get back and check on the progress over at Mr. Tony's."

"Great job tellin' her how we weren't gonna do the heavy lifting," Max said after his sister had taken her leave. He turned the diagram around to study it.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Stefanie chuckled quietly and reached over to place her hand on top of Michael's white-knuckled fists where they were clenched around the reins. "You're gonna have to relax. These guys can feel your tension through the reins. What they need to feel is confidence and I can see you're a confident guy. You're used to being in charge, right?"

He sat up a little straighter but only gave a nonchalant shrug.

"You've watched westerns, right?"

"I guess. When nothin' else was on." Laughter caught his attention and his eyes tracked Maria as she helped Liz hang more decorations. He shook his head when Eddie ran over to her and started to flap his gums, gesturing excitedly as he told her about something he felt was worthy of her attention.

"Hey, Santa, you're gonna need to stay focused," Stefanie chastised gently. "I'll be right here with you just in case but you don't wanna lose control and take off with runaway reindeer because you can't keep your eyes off of Snowflake."

"I'm focused," he growled.

"Um-hmm, I can tell. But we'll wanna keep that focus on the reindeer. Now, what I was saying about westerns… have you ever noticed the way the cowboys held the reins? Or the way they sat in the saddle or on a wagon?"

He shrugged. "Not really."

She nodded. "Okay, well, think about it now. They weren't tense. They were relaxed, loose-limbed, and the reins were held," she shook his hands, "without a death grip. Like those horses, the reindeer are trained to respond to cues, to pressure, and to the confidence of the person holding the reins." She hid a smile. "Now, we can do this tomorrow and I can put on an elf costume and hold the reins for you…" Oh, yeah, that'd kick him into gear. He was not the kind of guy who wanted anyone, and certainly not a girl, showing that she was better at something than he was.

"What? Look, I may not be thrilled about this stupid Santa-fest, but I'm not gonna have a bunch of brats wantin' to know why Santa's got an elf steering the sleigh." He rolled his shoulders and clenched his hands a couple of times before visibly forcing himself to relax. "Alright, I've got this."

Stefanie hid a grin. "Yeah, that's much better." She reached over and demonstrated how to move the reins and give the correct commands to get her boys moving. "See? Easy as pie," she said when they began to move, the reindeer calmly pulling the sleigh in a circle around the pen. "And the distance we just covered is less than what you'll need for tomorrow's shindig. According to Isabel you'll enter through the barn doors as the snow flies around you, giving your arrival a truly magical moment."

"Magical my ass," he grumbled. "Maybe your brother would like to play Santa."

She glanced over at Travis and snorted. "My brother would sooner walk around outside in his boxers in the dead of winter than put on a red velvet suit."

"I can respect that." He gently pulled back on the reins the way she had showed him and as soon as the brake had been set on the sleigh he made his escape.

Across the room Isabel was finally, finally, wrapping things up and he was so ready to snatch Snowflake up and head back to their cabin. He came up next to Maria and inhaled her scent, taking it in deeply and slowly releasing a breath as he wrapped his arm around her. He smirked at Eddie when he saw the look of disappointment on the boy's face. _Get over it, kid, she's mine._ "So, we're all done here? We can go?"

"Oh, Michael, haven't you been paying attention?"

His nerves grated when Isabel called out to him, her sickeningly sweet tone warning him that she was about to say something he did NOT want to hear. "What?"

"A bunch of the folks around here are so happy that Christmas on the Lake is happening that they've put together a little gathering for tonight."

He grunted when she gave him a big smile laced with innocence. He knew better. "Great, bring us a plate when you come back."

Isabel shook her head at him. "Oh, no, Michael, it's for ALL of us, you included. It'd be rude for any of us not to go. And after everything the Stevens have done for us it wouldn't do for us to be rude, would it?"

Maria bit her bottom lip when Isabel completely derailed Michael's train of thought. She knew exactly what his plans were. He had been watching her like a hawk all day and she had taken several opportunities to tease him, knowing it was driving him insane to be able to look but not touch. "Don't worry," she whispered in his ear, "it's just a few more hours."

He groaned quietly and shot a glare at Isabel. _She had probably orchestrated the entire idea,_ he thought grumpily.

"C'mon," Maria took his big hand in one of her smaller ones, "let's go get ready."

"Freaking great," he mumbled, "as if this day hasn't been enough fun, let's add a night at the bowling alley to it." He could just picture the kind of gathering it was gonna be and nothing about his imaginary rendering of the scene made him want to attend.

Kyle came up behind him and slapped him on the back. "C'mon, El Capitan, it'll be a blast. A little bit of bowling, a bunch of pizza, and hey, I know you're gonna be thrilled when I tell you this next part… are you ready?" He nodded. "They've got karaoke!"

Michael just glared at him.

"Yep, I knew you'd be excited as soon as I saw the stage." He grinned widely. "Now I know you're a little shy about getting up in front of a crowd, but maybe we could get Evans up there, huh? I'm thinkin' a rockin' Christmas song, he can sport that little elf hat…"

"I think you can both bite me," Max grumbled. "I don't sing for anyone." He rolled his eyes at them when they started debating whether or not they could actually get him on the stage.

Liz watched him thoughtfully, her mind running over a list of questions. She mentally kicked herself and started to go after him. "We'll go get ready. How long do we have?"

Isabel checked the ever-present planner and then the time. "About half an hour to get ready, 15 more minutes to give us some breathing room, so, let's say we all meet at the van in 45 minutes." She smiled when her decree was met with silence that she took as ascent. "Very good. Kyle, let's go. Julia said we could get ready up at the house."

Michael snorted when Kyle just grinned and went to retrieve their coats so they could go.


	55. Chapter 55

**Part 55**

Kyle sat at the counter, his gaze on the woman next to him as she talked about Christmas with her family when she was growing up. She was an engaging conversationalist and he enjoyed that. She could carry on a conversation on just about anything and that made it easy to bounce from one topic to the next. There were no awkward silences, no pressure to fill the air with inane subjects just to keep things going. She was opinionated without being obnoxious, she was intelligent, she had a great sense of humor, and she didn't mind arguing her side if opinions differed.

"What about you, Kyle?"

"Me?" He shook his head and shrugged one shoulder carelessly when Stefanie rolled her eyes at him. "We didn't really have a lot going on at Christmas when I was a kid. It was just me an' Dad. We made the effort at first but after a while..." He could just imagine the look on El Capitan's face if he happened to walk by and overheard the conversation. _Watch what you say, Valenti._ He sighed quietly, knowing the reasons for revealing little truth about themselves was necessary. "Anyway, the most important thing is being with the people you care about, right?"

Stefanie's eyes roamed around the bowling alley, following his gaze when it unconsciously moved over his wife and their friends. "If you have that you have everything," she agreed. "Although judging by the production your wife's made of getting ready for Christmas on the Lake you must stay busy this time of year."

He smirked. "Yeah, I guess I do. She's in her element with stuff like this."

She chuckled and turned back to face the counter. "That's easy to see. I have a feeling it's gonna be a memorable Christmas this year." She glanced at him. "Your dad must miss you since you're not home for the holidays."

"Hey, Stefanie," Brian said as he hauled himself up on the barstool on her other side.

As much as Kyle was relieved to have her distracted from that topic he wasn't interested in sharing her attention with a 13-year-old. "Thought you were playin' pool?" he asked as he leaned forward to look at the boy.

Brian rested his elbows on the counter and looked around Stefanie to see Kyle. "I was. Thought I'd take a break since I was winning." 

"You were winning until you decided to go up against Michael," he countered, ignoring the little voice that was telling him trying to best a 13-year-old was absurd.

"Yeah, well... _you_ couldn't beat me."

Stefanie bit her lips in an effort to keep from laughing. _Guys,_ she thought, _some things just never changed no matter how old they were._ She had watched them playing pool and she had quickly surmised that Kyle didn't spend a lot of time at the tables. She turned her head when she caught movement from the corner of her eye and she smiled at Eddie when he approached them.

"Hey, Dad says to come back to the table 'cause the pizza's here."

"I'm old enough to sit at the bar if I want to." His chin lifted and he gave his little brother a superior look. "I'm 14 and Dad was almost on his own at 14."

"Whatever," Eddie said and rolled his eyes. "You won't even be 14 till next year."

Brian shot a quick look at Stefanie before carefully sliding off of his barstool, one hand gripping the counter to keep from falling since he wasn't quite tall enough to reach the floor in one smooth motion. "I'm 14 on the tenth of January. Next month, doofus." 

"Get you guys a drink?"

The male voice intruding on their banter immediately had their attention and their expressions weren't that different as they looked at the man behind the bar. The guy sliding a frosted mug across the counter to Stefanie was tall, blonde, and blue-eyed.

_And he definitely wasn't the curmudgeonly older man who had been manning the counter most of the evening,_ Kyle thought. He shook his head when the guy flashed an easy smile at Stefanie and she returned it with one of her own.

"Paul, I'd like you to meet Kyle, Brian, and Eddie," she introduced them by nodding in their respective directions. "Guys, this's my boyfriend Paul."

He shook their hands with a grin. "You've got a pretty good game, Brian."

"I do okay," the boy said with a shrug. "I'll take a Root Beer."

"You better come back to the table before Mom comes to get you," Eddie said, knowing it would annoy his brother.

Brian glared at his younger – and considerably less cool – brother. "Guess I'll get that drink later." He shoved Eddie to get him moving. "No girl's ever gonna like you," he muttered.

"Like she even knew you were there." Eddie just grinned to himself and led the way back to the table where their parents and Maggie were waiting with dinner.

"What's your poison, Kyle?"

He looked at the beer on the counter in front of Stefanie and sighed. "Coke will be fine, thanks." There was no point trying to order a beer and getting busted for being underage.

"You're the one married to the pretty blonde, right?"

Kyle glanced over his shoulder, watching Isabel as she held court by the lanes. She was animated as she went on about the upcoming festivities no doubt. _Pretty blonde,_ he thought with an internal snort. She was so much more than that. Pretty was just too tame a word to describe her. "Yeah, that'd be me."

"Steph was tellin' me she's a terror about the details – ow!" He rubbed his arm when his girlfriend smacked it.

Kyle laughed and shrugged. "It's true," he admitted. And it was hard to dislike the guy popping the top off of a cold Coke and sliding it across the counter to him.

"Hey, Paul," Travis greeted as he dropped down on Brian's vacated barstool.

"How's it going, Travis?"

"Can't complain." 

"Get you a drink?"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Alex watched the activity in the bowling alley and time after time his gaze returned to Isabel. She was talking to some of the townspeople, her enthusiasm about her subject infectious. He shifted and his eyes settled on Kyle, studying him as he sat at the bar silently, lost in thought. He knew Kyle had a lot on his mind and while the others had made it a point to stop by and check on him every once in a while he hadn't allowed them to talk him away from his corner of solitude.

He was only going to be drawn out of seclusion by one person. He never let his gaze rest on her for too long though, not even long enough to draw her attention. He was careful and it wasn't even conscious; he was protecting himself from hurt and rejection.

His head turned when Buckeye paused in front of the jukebox, leaning forward and bracing his left hand on the back of it as his eyes roamed over the selection of available songs. _Most of the music was older than him,_ he mused as he glanced over the titles. The majority of the songs people had been picking were Christmas songs and no one seemed to care that they weren't up to date.

He was certain everyone had been relieved when Edward had put a stop to the repetitive playing of Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer after Maggie and her friend Michelle had chosen it for the fifth time. The owners of the bowling alley had fixed the old jukebox so folks could play their selections free for the night and the little girls had taken advantage of it.

A slow grin graced his features when the man took a bite of his pizza before sliding his fingertip over the playlist.

"Oops," Buckeye mumbled around the mouthful of pizza when he smeared sauce over the glass. He used the side of his fist to wipe it off and shoved the pizza in his mouth to hold it while he scrubbed his hand clean on his jeans. He reached up to retrieve the slice and his finger hovered over the old push buttons as he debated his selection.

"C11," Alex murmured.

Buckeye was eyeing an old Pink Floyd number when something drew his gaze back to the right. _Well, yeah, that was a good song,_ he thought. But he hadn't heard anything by Pink Floyd in a while. His hand moved back to the left. _A3,_ he decided with a nod to himself.

"Pick C11," Alex said as he moved slightly.

"Can you pick that one, Mr. Buckeye?" Maggie asked as she stretched up on her tiptoes to point at a selection on the right.

Buckeye's eyebrows lifted when the Stevens' little girl appeared next to him and picked out the song he had just been considering. _That had to be some kinda sign,_ he mused with a nod. "Sure." He could always play his later.

Kyle lifted his head and turned to look in the direction of the jukebox when the familiar music began to play. For a moment he could've sworn he could see Alex leaning up against the wall but then it passed and he turned back to the counter, absentmindedly humming along with the song as his mind took him back to a day that seemed so long ago.

Isabel paused behind Kyle and lifted an eyebrow as he very quietly sang along with the song on the jukebox. She moved just enough to get a look at his profile without drawing his attention and she watched as he turned the bottle on the counter between his hands and a sad smile slipped over his face as he started the chorus. When his voice choked up partway through she started to back away and leave him alone, but something made her change her mind.

He cleared his throat and looked away when he realized someone was sitting down on the stool Stefanie had vacated a while ago to hit the dance floor with her boyfriend. He blinked a few times and picked his Coke up, taking a drink to buy him a little more time to pull himself together.

"Kind of a sad song choice for Christmas," she said, not commenting on the sheen of moisture in his eyes.

He shrugged. "Yes and no, I guess." He took another drink and set the bottle down, tapping his thumbnail against the glass in time with the music. "Did Alex ever tell you anything about that time we got stuck in that crystal pit?"

She glanced around, double checking the area for eavesdroppers before shaking her head. He had told her recently, but she didn't feel the need that she'd been having conversations with someone who wasn't really there. "No, not really." It was her turn to swallow hard. "He probably would've, if we'd had more time."

"We thought it was over. Max and," his throat tightened momentarily and then forced her name out, "Tess couldn't break through the crystal ceiling and our air was runnin' out." He chuckled but the sound held little in the way of amusement. "Don't ask me why but we started singin' this song. Morbid entertainment, I guess."

"He shouldn't have been…" She shook her head. "He paid the ultimate price for something he never should've been involved in, something he never even asked to be part of."

"You know what he said to me that day, Isabel?" He turned and placed two fingers on her hand where it rested on the counter. He watched her, deciding not to share Alex's comment about not only meeting aliens but being killed by them too. She didn't need to know that. "We knew we were running outta time and unless something miraculous happened that was gonna be it. But, he looked at me with this serious expression he tells me we're part of this amazing thing, that we had this amazing knowledge that six billion people on this rock aren't part of. Then he asks me if I'd wanna be outta that cave if it meant I was gonna just be another dumb jock." He shifted slightly, resting his weight on his elbow. "And I wouldn't have made that trade, Isabel. No more than he would have. Alex understood what a gift knowing you guys is and somehow I doubt he regrets the ride even now. It gave us the chance to be part of something so much bigger than ourselves."

She gave him a small smile. "So you guys sang together, huh?"

"Yeah," he turned his head when he heard the annoying high-pitched sound of something scraping against a microphone. Eddie was up on the stage, his guitar held close as his slightly nervous gaze scanned the crowd. The boy's voice cracked as he made the announcement for open mic night and he tried in vain to hide the crimson flush that suffused his features. He chuckled and shook his head as he turned back to Isabel. _That was something he would never miss,_ he thought.

"I think Maria's gonna take advantage of the stage," she mused when she saw the other girl browsing through the available songs.

"Um-hmm," he agreed as he followed her gaze. He grinned when he saw Max heading towards Maria and before long the two were deep in discussion about something. "Wanna bet he's gonna ask her to sing some sappy love song?"

She laughed and turned back to the counter, asking the bartender for a soda when he paused in front of her. "Well, as long as he doesn't get up there and sing he can ask her to do any song he likes." She shuddered comically as she thought about the conversation she'd had with Maria and Liz about her brother singing. And in such a manner! There was just no way she could picture that and find it credible.

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Michael glanced up from his position leaning over the pool table when he caught a flash of movement near the stage. He watched Maria mount the three steps leading up to the small stage area with a confidence that made him smile. She paused at the microphone, her hands deftly adjusting the height while she talked to the awestruck 12-year-old standing beside her. Someone had apparently put the kid in charge of putting the music on for those brave enough to get up in front of the hometown crowd and belt out a song.

_They weren't gonna know what hit 'em,_ he thought when she turned back to the crowd and flashed a smile.

He slowly straightened, his gaze moving around the room to locate the others as music began to play. He recognized it but couldn't put a name to it. His gaze locked on Max and he rolled his eyes when he realized he was leading Liz out onto the dance floor. Now he knew why the music sounded so familiar. He scanned the rest of the room to find Kyle and Isabel and spotted them making their way through the crowd towards him.

"Are you gonna take your shot?"

He frowned at Brian's annoyed question. He had completely forgotten that he was engaged in a competitive game with the teenager. "I'm done." He nodded at the couple joining them. "You can play Kyle again."

Brian sighed and shook his head. "He's not real competition."

"Good point." He shoved his pool cue at Isabel. "Play her."

"What?" the boy yelped. "She's a girl!"

"Wow." Isabel's right hand wrapped around the pool cue and she handed her drink to Kyle as she watched the teenager. He was clearly insulted at having been left to play against a girl, so certain she wouldn't be a challenge. She nodded at the table and her eyes took on a challenging gleam. "Rack 'em up."

Kyle leaned into Michael's path. "Is she any good?"

He just smirked and slapped his friend's arm as he shouldered past him. "Don't worry, you won't be payin' for the next round of Yoo-Hoo." He skimmed the perimeter of the room, his eyes searching out the entry and exit points and making sure they were accessible if need be. He found a space at the end of the bar that wasn't crowded and he took up residence there, nodding when the bartender asked if he wanted a Coke.

Maria's voice filled the room and couples danced to the song, but to one young couple slowly moving in a shadowy corner of the floor it was so much more than just a random music choice. Eyes closed, her head resting against her husband's chest, Liz listened to the strong, steady beat of his heart. She inhaled deeply, drawing strength from his very presence. She smiled when she realized he was humming along with the song but a moment later she registered the fact that he was off-key and her eyes slowly opened.

She tipped her head back to look up at him. "You keep time with the music better when you're singing in Spanish," she said with a teasing laugh.

His eyebrows lifted in question. "What's that?"

"When that whole thing with your future self happened," she shrugged, "or didn't happen, he was there when you showed up on the street below my balcony to serenade me with the mariachi band. I have to admit, it surprised me."

His expression revealed his confusion. "Me? Have you ever so much as heard me sing in the shower?"

She thought about that and realized she couldn't recall that ever happening. "Well… no."

"There's a reason for that, Liz." He grinned and shook his head. "And in Spanish? I didn't…" he trailed off when he saw the smile on her face slip away. "What's going on?" He cradled her cheek in his hand and lifted her gaze to his when she tried to look away. "I did come to you and it had to be the night you're talking about, but Liz, I came alone. You know me; I'm the guy that's most comfortable behind the tree."

"But you were there that night?"

"I came to your door with roses but you wouldn't answer so I went around to the balcony because I knew it was where you went to collect your thoughts, sort them out, and make sense of them. I didn't wanna push it by climbing up, so I stood there just waiting and eventually you did come out."

"I came out because I heard the singing." She studied his somber expression, seeing the truth in his eyes. "But you weren't singing, were you?"

He shook his head. "You finally came out but you wouldn't talk to me."

"So you threw the roses up to me?" she asked and relief washed through her when he nodded. "And you remembered I preferred white." He nodded again. "That's why you changed the color from red to white when…" She sighed when his brows pulled together in a frown. "But they were white. After Future Max left they were still there and they were white."

"They were white when I bought them, Liz."

"Okay, but… my dad came out. He wanted to know what all the noise was. He came out and saw you and you left."

"The noise was me begging you to talk to me and, yeah, I left when he came out. He made it a point of letting me know it was 11 o'clock on a school night." He shook his head and kissed her gently. "Let it go, Liz. We'll probably never know the truth and all you're gonna do is drive yourself crazy trying to figure it out." He watched her in the dim light, vaguely aware of the song coming to an end and something more rousing and upbeat beginning. She constantly amazed him. After all they had been through, all _she_ had been through, she had not only left with him, she had married him. "I don't deserve you. Everything you've given me…"

She shook her head and pressed a finger to his lips. "No, you're right; the past stops here. This is where we are. Wherever our future takes us, we're gonna live it to the fullest." She met his gaze. "Together, Max, with no recriminations or regrets."

He stilled. "I love you, Liz. You deserve a future with the freedom to pursue your dreams and I can't promise you that. All I can promise is that I'll spend my life loving you the way you deserve to be loved."

She gave him a nudge to get him moving again, following his lead as he automatically started to move. She looked over at the pool tables where Kyle was playing a game of pool with Isabel. His powers were developing and as her mind started going over the possibilities of their futures she couldn't help but smile.

"What?" Max asked when he noticed the smile on her face. He shifted to follow her gaze to where his sister and Kyle were playing pool, but before he could get distracted his wife's hand came to rest against his jaw and she pulled his attention back to her.

"I was just thinking that after being on the road for so long we couldn't have foreseen breaking down here; a place that's allowed us to rest, to heal, and that's given us the possibility of a new beginning for all of us. And Max," she looked deeply into his eyes, "I want you to remember something. Always…" She paused a moment, looking away as her mind searched for the words she wanted and as they settled in her grasp her eyes moved to him once more. "You are the love of my life and where you are is more than just where I belong; it's where I want to be. Don't ever forget that. It's a choice and it's my choice."

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Kyle had shifted his barstool around so he could slouch back against the wall, his left hand balancing a bottle of Coke on his thigh while he unceremoniously dug into a basket of nachos with the other. Michael was close by, enjoying the music while keeping an eye on everyone and everything. He hadn't been able to talk him into bowling but the sight of the two blue bowling balls sitting on the counter between him made them smirk.

_Close to half an hour earlier he had sauntered up to the other man, the blue bowling balls balanced in his palms and held against his chest just like he had done in the bowling alley back home quite a while ago. He'd suggested a game and Michael's only response was a negative grunt, which was not unlike most of his responses. But the fact that his attention was focused on the stage had amused him to no end and he'd carefully shifted around, making sure there was no way Michael could miss the bowling balls, and he'd nodded wisely. "Ah, I get it."_

_That had been enough to make Michael look at him and his brow had furrowed in a frown. "What?" The smirk on Kyle's face had been enough to clue him in and he'd smacked his arm and shoved him back. "Whatever."_

"What the…?"

He paused with a meaty, cheesy, jalapeno-laden nacho halfway to his mouth as he turned his head to follow Michael's gaze to the stage. He bit back a grin at the guy who stepped up on the stage without bothering with the steps. He was probably a good six feet tall, dressed in denim and flannel, and sporting a baseball cap.

"What's this guy think he's doin'?" Michael muttered, annoyed when Maria smiled and nodded in response to a question.

"Looks to me like he wants to hook up." He couldn't be sure, but he had a feeling the annoyance emanating from the hybrid next to him actually caused his nacho to tremble… which, in turn, caused the gooey goodness piled on it to fall… right in his lap. "I meant for a song, El Capitan. Y'know, like a duet?"

"Not happening."

"Looks to me like…" He paused when familiar music started to play and for a moment the giant splotch of cheese stuck to his thigh went forgotten. "No, no, no, no, no," he groaned as he identified the song. The backs of his eyelids would forever be imprinted with the visual of his dad and Maria on stage performing this very song. There was just no way to rid himself of that nightmarish image. "Please make it stop… make it stop…"

Michael frowned at him. "What is wrong with you?"

He snorted. _Oh, if you only knew,_ he thought. But, Michael had been absent from that performance, which was probably a good thing.

"I hate this song."

Across the room Alex snickered at Kyle's response. He had been having just a little too much fun with Michael so he'd decided to level the field. He had to admit, if he'd been there to see that performance in person he would've asked her what she was thinking. And she would've looked at him like he was crazy. He smiled faintly. She had been so in that moment, just having a good time, and for a little while the insanity of her life had taken the backseat.

"What're you laughing at?"

He glanced at Isabel where she was leaning back against the wall next to him, her expression calm but wistful as she watched their friends enjoying a bit of Christmas. She had taken the opportunity to cut out from the crowd for a little while, overwhelmed by the evening in spite of how much she was enjoying it.

"Just having a little fun." He gave it a few more seconds before he used a little of his own brand of magic to sabotage the music track and he had to laugh at the way Kyle suddenly looked so relieved. He leaned back against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest while he watched the people who had come to mean so much to him before his death. He sighed. They were the people who still meant so much to him. Death may have put an end to things like hunger, physical pain, and done away with the need for a corporeal body, but it couldn't make the ache of loneliness disappear.

Isabel's gaze landed on one of the deer heads mounted on the walls around the room and she shook her head. She didn't have a problem with people who hunted but she could probably live without seeing the poor creatures staring sightlessly at her. And even though some well meaning individual had put Santa Claus hats on them and strung lights on some of their antlers she wasn't sure it helped.

"It doesn't," he said with an amused snort. He followed her gaze as she soaked up the warm, friendly atmosphere of The Huron Pub & Pins. The pub was lodge style, sort of built like a log cabin. The stone fireplace served as the center and it was flanked by a large Christmas tree that he knew Isabel had helped to design. Overhead, twinkling lights were strung along the rafters and he looked at her as her thoughts telegraphed themselves to him.

She smiled slightly as her gaze shifted to Max and Liz, caught up in their own little world as they swayed to music only they could hear in their little corner of the room. Michael and Kyle were engaged in their normal banter, and Maria was talking to Eddie now that her would-be singing partner had been dissuaded. The boy was so infatuated with her and he hung on her every word.

Alex could relate; he had so been there.

He smiled when little Maggie Stevens walked up to the stage at Maria's urging, dragging her shy friend Michelle with her. The two girls accepted the large jingle bells she gave them and then the four of them spent several minutes consulting about the song they were going to perform. _That poor little kid had to be hot,_ he thought when Michelle joined her best friend next to Maria at the microphone. The girl was wearing her jacket with her hood up and he knew it was because she was shy. Maggie might be able to talk her into getting up there and shaking the jingle bells, but she wouldn't do it without her security blanket.

His gaze shifted to Michael, seeing the way he was so attuned to Maria, and it made him happy to see that his friends were finally getting their acts together. The girls gave the bells a few good shakes and then Eddie started in with the music, his adolescent fingers much more adept at keeping time and rhythm when he wasn't making eye contact with his crush. He smiled and nodded. "Good choice, Maria," he said quietly.

She shook her head at Kyle as he shoved a handful of cheesy nachos in his mouth, apparently giving up on engaging his companion in conversation. She could understand why the moment the music started and Michael's attention locked solely on Maria. On the stage Eddie was beaming, so obviously thrilled to be sharing the small space with her. Next to her Maggie and Michelle were following her cues, shaking the jingle bells in the appropriate places. There was no doubt every word of the song _All I Want for Christmas is You_ was directed at the stubborn hybrid who couldn't take his eyes off of her.

The adrenaline that had rushed through her system as she planned, plotted, and detailed every moment of Christmas on the Lake had slowed considerably now that she had nothing to do, and it allowed her mind to wander places she'd rather it not go. She felt the tug on her heart as she went over Christmas memories with her family and friends. As it always did, those thoughts eventually turned to Alex and her vision blurred as she spoke unconsciously.

"How is it we never spent a Christmas together?"

"Who says we never did?" he interrupted her thoughts.

She frowned. "You know we didn't."

"Not in the traditional sense, no." He chuckled at her confused look and reached up to tap his temple. "I spent Christmas with you in my dreams."

Isabel smiled briefly and forced down the lump in her throat. "Did we dance?"

He tipped his head back to rest against the wall. "There was candlelight and soft music." He paused a moment before looking at her, their eyes locking intimately. "My lady looked lovely in red."

Her eyes sparkled with the tears she was fighting back and her voice was so hoarse it was barely a whisper as she spoke, "Alex, I wish I had…"

He shook his head as he reached out to lift her chin up, achieving the action without actually touching her. "No regrets, Isabel. Not between us." He looked deeply into her troubled eyes. "The past is just that; nothing you or anyone else does today will change it. Tess may have scrambled my brain up, but the one thing I do know is you made me very happy. We had our ups and downs for sure and you could make me crazy," he said with a laugh, "but crazy isn't always a bad thing." He sobered and his gray eyes were serious when they locked on her. "Let the past go. I have. I had before my last day, don't ever think any differently."

She nodded and drew in a shaky breath. "I love you, Alex."

"And I you," he smiled warmly. "I always have." _And always will._

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Kyle glanced up from trying in vain to wipe the blob of cheese from his jeans, vaguely noting that all he was doing was smearing the greasy mess. He grinned at Maria as she joined them, giving her a high-five and ignoring the eye roll she gave him when she saw what he was doing.

She leaned into Michael, wrapping her arms around his neck as she looked into his eyes. "So, how's Santa doing?"

Michael stretched and made a production of yawning. "The fat man has a busy day ahead of him and it's time to get Snowflake in for the night."

"So don't need to hear this," Kyle mumbled and made a gagging sound. He ducked the elbow Michael aimed at his ribcage, standing as his gaze located Isabel with ease. He recognized her expression, her posture, and in the dim lighting he could see her lips moving quietly. He knew who she was talking to.

He went completely ignored as their banter continued.

In response to the fake yawn Maria gave a fake pout. "I was hoping to have a little time with Liz tonight." She switched gears and her lips lifted in a smile. "I have an idea." She shook her head at his groan of frustration. "Someone was saying they have new air hockey tables and they look free now that people are starting to call it a night."

"Callin' it a night sounds like a good idea to me."

She sighed. "Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeease?"

Could he really say no? After watching her sing and knowing it was directed at him? He looked at her and after a moment he caved. "If that's what you want." His elbow hit Kyle in the ribs with deadly accuracy when the other man mimicked the sound of a whip cracking. "I guess we could check the tables out, maybe play a couple games."

"I'll go find Evans and head over that way," Kyle huffed, shifting as he tried to make sure his ribs were still intact. He would give Isabel her space, let her carry on her conversation with Alex, and when she was ready she would talk to him. He knew her connection to their dead friend helped her to maintain her sanity, but in a way it allowed her to maintain distance between her and others too. Maybe if he and the guys were busy doing whatever, and the girls were busy talking, they'd include Isabel.

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Liz stood in the shadows watching her husband as he and Kyle faced off on opposite sides of an air hockey table. She didn't know if Max had ever played, but she had a feeling Kyle and Michael were probably familiar with the game. Michael and Maria were taking their time joining them and she debated going over and asking Isabel if she wanted to hang out with her and Maria.

"Watch me, Daddy!"

A little girl's voice carried across the bowling alley and her gaze was drawn to the opposite end of the sizeable room. Most of the lanes were deserted as the families had said their goodnights and left for home, but there were still a few stragglers, people who were reluctant to end the pleasant evening. She located the owner of the exuberant voice and she smiled without realizing it. The little girl was waving to a man watching her from the snack counter and his bearded cheeks lifting when he smiled.

As she watched the little girl kicked her shoes off and she took a running start towards the lane. Her small body seemed weightless as she glided down the lane, her arms outstretched at her sides and her head thrown back as she laughed, the sound so young and carefree.

_Lane walking,_ she thought. It was funny, she'd never even heard of it, hadn't even thought about it, before Sean had introduced her to it. She sighed and leaned back against the wall. She had treated him so badly. He wasn't a fool and she had a feeling he'd seen through her actions better than she had at the time, but he had also been interested in her and she'd used that to her advantage. He wasn't the only one she'd hurt; she'd unintentionally hurt Maria by her treatment of him. Had she ever really apologized to them for it?

_No,_ she realized, _she hadn't._ She'd given Sean an apology when she'd gone to him in the middle of the night after Max leaving, intent on returning to Antar with the others. But then and now, she didn't know what she'd been apologizing for. Going to him and using him again? Allowing him to get involved in something that was not only illegal, but that could've jeopardized his freedom? She had been so messed up, she hadn't been thinking rationally, but she had known what she was doing with Sean was wrong.

"What's on your mind, Chica?"

She reached up to wipe away a stray tear and gave Maria a smile that trembled a bit at the edges. "I'm sorry, Maria."

The blonde frowned. "Okay, but why?"

"The way I treated Sean. I never told you I was sorry and I know it really bothered you… no, it hurt you when I got him in trouble."

Maria snorted. "You didn't get him in trouble, Liz." She hugged her friend. "Sean's a big boy and he made his own decisions. No, I didn't like what you were doing but I know why you did it. Been there, done that, remember? It's easy to project when you're blinded by hurt or anger. You don't necessarily do it intentionally, or sometimes you do," she said with a pointed look, "but even then, it's not meant maliciously."

"You're too forgiving," she mumbled against her friend's shoulder.

"I know," she sighed heavily and then laughed. "No, just… we're starting fresh, right? We've unloaded the past and we have no reason to revisit it, right?"

Liz laughed and nodded. "Have you ever been lane walking, Maria?"

"He really did corrupt you, didn't he?" she teased lightly. "Wanna see if we can get an alien princess to take her shoes off and slide down a bowling lane?"

They looked at Isabel and then at each other and started laughing at the image of the tall blonde gliding down a lane.

"Well, we might be able to talk her into observing," Liz said when they finally had their laughter under control. She nodded across the lanes when the little girl's daddy called out to her, letting her know it was time to go home. "Looks like we have the lanes all to ourselves; let's go ask."

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Michael's eyes followed the puck as it connected with Kyle's mallet and he pulled his own back quickly to block the bank shot. He slammed the puck back towards the other man's goal and growled when it was blocked and returned to his side. He shifted slightly and connected with the puck again.

"Where's Max? It's time to get movin'."

"He went to the little boy's room," he said, groaning when his efforts to block the last shot failed.

"That's been a while."

"Maybe he's regretting that bean and jalapeno burrito he had a while ago."

Michael laughed and shook his head. "You're just jealous 'cause Isabel nixed it when you said you were gonna order one."

He straightened up and looked at Michael with a shake of his head. "I seem to recall Maria giving you the same warning." He stretched and then put the puck back into play.

He shrugged. "So it's a married thing, right? Just kinda part of the whole package."

Kyle thought about that for a moment before nodding. "Good enough reason for me."

Michael glanced around and finally spotted Max standing in front of the glass doors that separated the pub from the bowling alley. He focused on the puck and after a couple more back-and-forth shots, he sent it home again. "Game's over, Valenti."

"Uh, no," Kyle denied. "I demand a replay and this time, no ali… no funny business."

He frowned and shook his head. "Where're the girls?"

"You found Max, you found the girls."

They walked over to join him at the glass doors and they followed his contemplative gaze. Liz and Maria were in their sock feet, sliding down the lanes while Isabel watched them.

"I don't know if she'll ever really relax," Max murmured as his eyes rested on his sister. He could see the conflict on her face; part of her wanting to join in and get out there with the girls, the other part warring with that desire because such behavior was beneath her. It wasn't anything new; she had always been like this. As much as she wanted to be a part of things there was something inside of her that always set her apart. He didn't believe it had anything to do with being part alien. It was more a way of protecting herself, and he could understand that.

"I hate to be the bad guy here," Michael said as he observed the girls, "but we need to get goin'. It's time to pay a visit to the sheriff and we need to be ready to leave on Sunday mornin'."

Kyle held his breath as he waited for Max to respond. He watched the girls tease and cajole, gently bullying Isabel into joining them. He silently cheered when he saw her lean over to take her shoes off. The girls slipped their way along the lanes and held their hands out to her, urging her to take them. She did so, hesitantly, and he sent up a silent request to Buddha that he protect her dignity by making sure she didn't take a spill. He knew the lanes were slick and if she lost her balance and fell on her backside it would embarrass her and she'd easily become defensive. It was a slow process getting someone like her to relax and open up and they were patient enough to wait her out, but her temper could be trying.

"I agree we need to be ready," Max said finally. "But maybe we can give the girls one last night before we deal with the reality of getting back on the road."

Kyle released a relieved breath when the words were finally spoken. He hadn't wanted to be the one to cancel the flight home, but he would've. He just wasn't ready for it tonight.

Michael nodded after several minutes of contemplative silence. One corner of his mouth lifted in a half-smile when the girls got tangled up by some miracle they managed to stay upright. "One more night," he agreed with a sharp nod, "but that's it. We can't afford to put this off any longer. We do this thing tomorrow night."

"Christmas on the Lake and afterwards we go back to the cabins for dinner. We'll do it then," Max nodded.

They both turned to look at Kyle and he shrugged his right shoulder. "You've got my vote. We see my dad tomorrow night."

The three of them fell silent as they turned back to the glass doors, unified in their decision. For a while longer they observed the girls, soaking up the joy on their faces, and lost in their individual thoughts.

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Liz felt like she was walking on air as she nearly floated through the cabin that was dimly lit courtesy of her husband's touch. She kept going over their conversation on the dance floor and she could just feel those feelings wash over her again. No, they would never know the truth about what had happened that night but she could now shelve it and file it away. It didn't matter now. What mattered was that they were back on track and embracing their new normal.

Her eyes landed on their bed and she felt the weight that had been pressing down on her since the entire Future Max revelation had come out lift. The suffocating feeling that had been a heavy pressure on her chest just melted away. "It's a new day," she said to herself. Her hands smoothed over the covers before she grasped them and pulled them back.

She began to undress, aware that Max was nearly finished in the bathroom and he would be joining her at any moment. She dropped her clothes, kicking them to one side and purposely leaving them on the floor instead of neatly folding them and leaving them on the chair like she normally would. She looked down at her shirt and kicked it across the room, reveling in the freeing feeling that accompanied the motion.

She heard Max tapping his toothbrush against the glass that sat on the back of the sink and rolled her eyes. Why was he taking his time tonight? She unhooked her bra and removed it in one sweeping motion, tossing it across the room to join the rest of her clothes. Her heart pounded and heat rushed through her veins, igniting the fire of anticipation in her body as she slipped her panties off and sent them flying.

"Um, Max, what're you doing?" she asked, grinning as she slipped between the sheets. The cabin was warm but the sheets were cool and they felt good against her overheated body.

If he'd been a dog his ears would've been standing straight up at the slightly husky sound in her voice. He checked his appearance in the mirror one more time, making sure he hadn't missed any stubble while shaving. He grinned at himself and straightened up, lightly slapping his chest before cutting the light off. Inhaling deeply he held the breath for a moment before releasing it and stepping out into the bedroom.

He was greeted by the sight of his wife's clothes scattered across the floor, something that was decidedly un-Liz-like. He lifted his gaze to the bed, sliding up over the outline of her body that was shifting restlessly beneath the sheets. He felt the familiar buzz of arousal snap to life, setting his nerve endings on fire the way a tiny spark could suddenly ignite an entire forest.

"Maria sings our song beautifully, don't you think?"

"Huh?" The blood pounding in his ears in tandem with the pulsating rush of heat that was shooting through him drowned out her words. If he hadn't been watching her he likely wouldn't have even realized she had spoken. He wasn't paying attention as she repeated herself, lost in the feelings that assaulted him in response to her leisurely perusal of his body.

His breath hitched when her eyes suddenly lifted to lock on his and he moved to the bed on autopilot. Her eyes were sparkling the way they had back in the very beginning of their relationship, back before things had gotten complicated. Back before he had messed things up between them.

Liz watched his every move, shifting against the cool sheets that felt so good against her overheated body. She grinned at her speechless man as he climbed into bed and over her, his graceful moves reminding her of a black panther she had seen once. She reached up to touch him, her finger tracing a path from shoulder to waist.

A sensual smile replaced the teasing grin as her fingertip toyed with the waistband of his boxers. His heated breath ghosted over her skin, intensifying the feelings already causing her hormones to jump into overdrive. She dipped her finger behind the elastic, sliding it back and forth against his skin for several breath stealing moments before retracting the teasing digit.

Max's eyes followed her hand when it moved over the fabric of his boxers, smoothing down over his hip before moving to the inside of his thigh. He caught her hand, stopping her. "Do you have any idea what you do to me?" he rasped.

All of her senses were on overload. His eyes dark and piercing were locked on her lips, his chest rose and fell with every ragged breath he was trying and failing to control, his scent, and his body, so close she could feel the heat coming off of him, but at the same time she felt like he could never be close enough. "Why don't you show me?"

In direct contrast to the slight trembling in his aroused body, his movements were sure and steady as he deftly removed his boxers and tossed them onto the floor to join their more feminine counterparts. His arms wrapped around her, nipping her bottom lip and pulling her against him as he pushed his hips forward. He held her tightly as his forehead rested against hers and he uttered her name on a hoarse breath.

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Kyle walked into the cabin, shedding his outer gear and hanging it up, and bending over to pull his boots off without turning the lights on. Isabel was standing right behind him but her back was to him, her face upturned to take in the night sky. It was still freezing cold but at least for the moment the wind had died down. He shivered slightly as he hurried over to the loveseat, snatching up the throw from the back of the cushions and pulling it around his shoulders.

He slouched down into the soft cushions and pulled the throw up over his head to avoid the icy breeze that wafted over him. He was tired but it didn't stop him from reaching for the remote to turn the television on. It was a good kind of tired; the kind that meant a good night of sleep was waiting for him. Even if he was scrunched up on a twin mattress and wedged in the doorframe of the smaller bedroom so he didn't freeze to death.

He yawned widely and stretched his legs out, flipping through the channels as Isabel finally closed the door and began pulling her gear off. "Looks like we're in for more snow." He snorted and went to the next channel. "Big surprise there."

"Yes, isn't it?" She glanced into his room and smiled to herself as she went into the kitchen. "Would you like a cup of coffee?"

"We got any hot chocolate?"

She shook her head. "You just want the little marshmallows."

He chuckled and paused on one of the channels, tipping his head to the side as he tried to figure out why there was a large rat in a little soldier costume running around. "What the hell…?" he muttered.

"Oh, leave it here, Kyle."

"What is it?"

"The Nutcracker Ballet."

"Of course it is," he mumbled but left the channel where it was. He listened to her moving around in the kitchen, the domestic sounds comforting. He frowned when guys in white tights started dancing across the stage. "TMI right there, boys."

Isabel joined him and curled up next to him after handing him a mug of hot chocolate. "When we were little my parents took us to the ballet in Albuquerque to see this. It was a much more elaborate production but I just loved it. Max didn't get into it at all and my dad didn't either, but for a long time he took me to see it every year. It was kinda our thing. Mom would take Max to see whatever Christmas movie was on and Dad and I would go to the ballet." She smiled at the memory. "He'd get all dressed up and so would I and we'd go to dinner at a really nice restaurant before going to the ballet. It was so magical. My dad really is the best."

Kyle reached over to pat her leg. "Yeah, he is." He glanced at her from the corner of his eye, seeing the hint of sadness creeping into her features. "I guess he beats my dad hands down." He shrugged when he felt her look at him. "Well, we never went to the ballet."

She laughed at the absurdity of his comment and reached over to shove his shoulder. "You're so goofy sometimes, Kyle."

He just smirked when she leaned against him, her eyes locked on the screen. He had no idea how long they sat there watching the ballet – something he would deny if the truth ever came out, but when it reached the conclusion he straightened slightly and rolled his eyes. "So, the whole thing was just a dream?"

"A beautiful dream though don't you think?" she asked, trying and failing to fight off a yawn.

"It was different. It wasn't that bad." Something else he would deny. "It just sucks that the dream is where she'd rather be."

"It's where she's happiest; it's where her Prince is."

"Yeah." He flipped back to the weather channel. "But eventually she has to face reality."

"Is it so wrong for her to get lost in the fantasy for a while?"

"No, not at all. But there's a danger to getting lost in the fantasy."

"What's the danger?" she asked curiously.

"At some point the lines between fantasy and reality begin to blur and without even realizing it the fantasy could become her reality. And the fantasy may be preferable to her reality, but she has to be willing to put herself out there again at some point. She has to be willing to risk the hurt or she'll never experience everything good that life can offer."

Isabel sighed as she thought about her visits with Alex. "She will, when she's ready."

He got to his feet and leaned over to kiss the top of her head. "I'm gonna hit the sack. Make sure you get some sleep because we're gonna be busy as soon as dawn breaks."

"You'd better think again if you think you get to sleep until dawn, Valenti," she threatened with a smile. "I'm gonna take a shower so if you need the bathroom…?"

He nodded and made quick use of the facilities before moving back to the living area to collect their mugs off of the coffee table. "I'll get these."

She studied him for a moment as she stood. "Thanks for everything, Kyle."

"Always." He motioned at the doorway to her room. "Go on, hit the shower. I'll probably have these washed and be in bed before you even make it to the bathroom."

"That's probably true." She smiled to herself as she went to her room and started getting her things together to take a shower. She'd love to see his face when he found what was waiting for him in his room but she knew it would be enough to know he would really sleep comfortably tonight.

Kyle was surprised when he heard the shower come on as he placed the last cup in the dish drain. He dried his hands on his jeans and hit the light switch with his elbow before giving the front door one more check to be sure it was locked. He turned the television off and then hit the light switch with his elbow, rolling his shoulders as he made his way into his room.

He walked through the doorway, his eyes still adjusting to the darkness as he turned and reached up to grab the mattress. "What the hell?" He frowned when his hands sliced through the air without coming into contact with anything. He scratched his head in confusion and leaned over to turn the creature lamp on but again found empty air. He growled and turned, jumping back and grabbing his shin when it contacted with something hard. "Damn it, what the…" He reached up, fumbling for the string hanging from the overhead light and gave it a vicious yank.

The irritation drained out of him as the light illuminated the lone bed in the room. The bunk beds had been taken down and reassembled to create one double bed. Well, maybe not quite a double, but more than big enough to give him a decent night's sleep. He reached for one corner of the covers to peek beneath, lifting an eyebrow at the plain white sheets and wondering where cowboy Mickey had gone. He dropped the blanket back down but reached for it again when he noticed the weight. He peeled the layers back and found additional covers. "Nice," he murmured.

He sat on the bed and bounced up and down experimentally, smiling to himself when it remained solid and in one piece. He stretched out and linked his fingers behind his head, closing his eyes and just relishing the moment. He listened to the sound of the shower running and forced his mind away from the visual that tried to attach itself. He was relaxing and wondering how she had managed to handle the rearrangements without him knowing it when he realized she must've contracted outside help. Who better to rearrange the room than Santa and his Chief Reindeer Wrangler? He chuckled to himself and his eyes shot open as a thought occurred to him. He hurried to change positions, hanging over the edge of the bed on his stomach as he lifted the sheet out of the way to peer into the dark recesses below.

"Ah, there you are," he muttered as he grabbed the hideous clown pushed it up against the wall where it would be sure to remain out of sight. He got up to change clothes and turned the lights out, sliding under the covers and sighing softly at the feel of the crisp sheets. He would thank her in the morning; cast it off in passing, because he knew if he drew too much attention to it it'd only make her uncomfortable. His last thought as he began to drift off was that having Chucky hidden under his bed must've raised a couple of alien eyebrows.

Isabel waited around until she was sure he was asleep, something that became fact the moment he began to snore, and she crept out of her room. For the first time in too long he actually looked like he was comfortable. He was stretched out taking up every possible inch of space and even if it was still a little cooler in his room he looked peaceful and relaxed. She smiled and turned to go back to her own room, ready to catch a few hours of sleep herself before their big day began.

She paused at the window to look outside and she chuckled quietly as she stared at the sky and thought about the weatherman's prediction of more snow. She tapped her finger against the windowpane and winked at the sliver of moon visible behind a cloud and started to sing under her breath as she walked to her room.

"I'm dreaming of a white Christmas…"

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The little cabin, surrounded by snow and the occasional brisk wind, was comfortably warm inside as Michael hauled the mattress back over to toss it on the box springs. He had lit the candles on the mantle above the fireplace with a quick snap of his fingers and now the room was filled with the scent of cinnamon. He tossed the blankets on the bed and made a token gesture of straightening them as he glanced over at the bathroom door.

"What's takin' so long in there, Snowflake? Santa has a big day and the Christmas Nazi's gonna have us on the move before sunup." _Yeah, like that was gonna happen,_ he thought with an internal eye roll. But if it got her moving… He grinned. "Santa's got an early present for you."

Her mouth dropped open and she just barely managed to slap her hand over it before the snort of laughter escaped. Really? That was his idea of a romantic line? Well, she thought with a sigh, he was Michael. She shook her head when she heard the impatient knock at the door. "C'mon, Snowflake, I'm gonna be needin' a foot rub too." _Oh, yeah,_ he thought triumphantly when the door was finally pulled open and she stood there all perfect and stealing his breath with nothing more than her very existence.

"You're in need of a foot rub?" Her green eyes sparkled with mischief.

His eyes moved over her as he took a couple of steps backwards, big hands clenching at his sides. "Santa'll just go ahead and assume the position for that foot rub."

"Santa should do that." She bit the inside of her cheek to control the smile. "Snowflake will just go and get Santa's favorite lotion, hmm?"

"Maria," he groaned, "don't tease."

The grin broke free. "Maria? Who's Maria?" She shook her head. "Snowflake, remember, Santa?"

"Yeah, that's real funny." His eyes shadowed her every move as she walked around the bed to retrieve the lotion from the small bedside table.

Maria popped the top on the small bottle, lifting it to her nose to inhale its scent, well aware of his heated gaze tracking her every move. He was ready to pounce but he was reining himself in for the moment. It wouldn't take long and it wouldn't take much. She smiled secretively before turning her head to look at him through her eyelashes. "Snowflake's all ready for Santa."

That look. It felt like his skin had just burst into flames and it took the space of a heartbeat for him to reach her. He shook his head in denial and his heated breath ghosted across the back of her neck when he spoke, "She's not naked in Santa's bed."

Her eyes widened and she gasped lightly, feigning shock. "Snowflake, naked in Santa's bed? What would Mrs. Claus have to say about that?"

"Huh?"

"Mrs. Claus," she said, deliberately speaking slowly. In his defense he wasn't thinking clearly and she was quite proud to be responsible for his inability to follow the conversation. "You know, Santa's wife?"

"That old bag?" He made a sound of disgust. "No way. It's Santa an' Snowflake."

"Hmm, you sure about that?" She tapped the lotion bottle against her chin thoughtfully. "I've always been under the impression he was married." He reached for her and she deftly ducked out of his reach, moving to the other side of the bed before he could catch her. "I'm a little confused."

He shook his head and stepped to the left, growling low in his throat when she moved to her left, the bed between them providing an annoying barrier. "There's nothin' to be confused about. Naked Snowflake," he pointed at her. "Santa," he pointed at himself. "Bed," he pointed to the space between them. "Put all three together and you've got your answer."

"No," she shook her head and pretended to think about that. "See, I'm a little confused about this relationship between Santa and Snowflake. They're… friends?"

"Maria…" It wasn't whining, not really.

"Snowflake," she reminded him. "And you haven't answered the question."

He moved around the bed, his movements confident, his entire being exuding arousal and need. "It's not a real question," he rumbled as he reached her and lifted her up in his arms. It was absolute perfection as her legs came around his waist and he turned in one fluid move, lowering her to the bed and settling over her.

The lotion fell to the floor unnoticed as his lips took possession of hers and she gave in to him.

Maria met his crushing kisses, mewing in protest when he broke away to draw in more air. She reached up to touch his jaw, to pull him back, but before she could make contact her hand was captured in his. His fingers slowly slid through hers, interlocking them just before he pinned her hand to the bed just above her head. His heated breath ghosted over her neck in ragged bursts as he murmured against the skin just below her ear.

"Santa's elf, remember?"

With his free hand he tugged on the bottom of the shirt she had confiscated from his stash, desperate to feel her skin. He released a moan as his hips pushed forward, his mouth lowering to suck on the tender pulse point of her neck just as his hand found her breast. His thumb grazed her nipple and he paused briefly, a knowing grin on his face when the action caused her to writhe in response.

"Michael, Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeease…"

He shifted to push himself up on his left forearm, allowing just enough space between them to meet her gaze. Her eyes were possibly more revealing than anything else, her pupils blown and reminding him of dark pools with just a thin ring of emerald green surrounding them. He squeezed the hand he still held against the mattress above her head. "Michael, huh?" he teased, carrying on with the game she had started as his other hand began to slowly move downward.

Her breath caught, the sound reaching his ears and immediately requiring a response from him. His free hand was suddenly busy, removing her panties before rolling just enough to rid himself of his sweatpants. A moment later their eyes were locked as intimately as their bodies. He trembled but forced himself to still as she attempted to free her hand from his gentle grip.

He lowered his head, his lips hovering just above hers. "Who am I again, Snowflake?" he whispered raggedly.

Maria's free hand lifted to curl around his neck and try as she might she couldn't control her breathing. "Please," she whimpered, "I've missed you."

His eyes never left hers as his hips pulled back and then after a moment that seemed to last forever he surged forward, reclaiming Maria as his. His senses were heightened and every look, every sound, drove him to increase the pace of their rhythm. His eyes bored into hers as she let out a cry of completion and came apart beneath him. He lost the ability to maintain the intense eye contact as he gasped sharply and his head snapped back. His back arched as he answered her release with his own, sending them both into a powerful spiral that suddenly exploded and shattered their senses.

Seconds, minutes, time lost all meaning as they lay there collapsed in each other's arms. He responded to her hand pressing against his shoulder, a not so gentle reminder that he was not as light as the proverbial feather, and he rolled over. He didn't release her, holding her close and giving her just enough freedom to grab the covers and pull them up over them. Once they were settled in for the night and she was secure in his arms he allowed his eyes to drift shut.

"I've missed you too…" were the last words that passed his lips as he gave in and allowed sleep to claim him.


	56. Chapter 56

**Author's Note: **The lyrics in this part do not belong to us. Credit goes to Sheryl Crow for several lines borrowed from "I Shall Believe".

**Part 56**

Liz gave the covers a good shake and then with a flex of her wrists, snapped them out so that they settled over the bed pretty close to where she wanted them. She walked around it, humming to herself as she gave the covers a tug here and there, and smoothed out the occasional wrinkle. The cabin was comfortably warm and she absentmindedly wondered how low the temperatures had dipped overnight. She lifted the blinds to peer outside, recognizing the signs of fresh snowfall. She smiled as she placed her fingertip on the windowpane, drawing a heart in the frost that had collected there.

She chuckled as she remembered Max, drunk on her rooftop, proudly illuminating the heart he had drawn on the faded bricks. He had placed their initials inside the heart, expressing his feelings in a way that had been unmistakable, and as much as the cheesy, cliché symbol of love would've made her cringe with anyone else it had only made her love him more. But she hadn't been able to completely trust his feelings enough to just let go, an instinct that had served her well considering the moment he had sobered up he had gone right back into his shell.

She could just imagine her dad's face if he'd walked in and caught her with not one guy, but three of them in her bedroom. Kyle, with his paws in her underwear drawer, Max just standing there with that drunken, goofy grin on his handsome face, and Doug Shellow, her blind date who had nearly bored her to tears. She shook her head at the memory as bits and pieces of the scuffle going on inside her bedroom rose to the surface. Kyle's drunken orders as he wrestled with her date so Max could escape with her. She laughed quietly at the absurdity of that night.

She added their initials to the heart and turned away from the window as she heard the water in the shower suddenly stop. She had known it wouldn't be long before Isabel was taking morning attendance for her big production so she had snuck out of bed and grabbed a shower before waking her husband and pushing him in the direction of the bathroom. As a rule Max was awake and alert with little prompting, but after a night like the one they had just shared, well, he could be like a sloth. She grinned. Yeah, she loved him, and as much as she had wanted to crawl right back into bed and snuggle with her sloth, she hadn't wanted to be responsible for bringing her sister-in-law's ire down on them.

Although, to get him moving she had also promised breakfast would be ready and she had gotten caught up in memories and spaced out. She rolled her eyes as she caught her reflection in the mirror hanging on the bathroom door. She hadn't even gotten dressed yet! She tipped her head to one side as she studied her appearance, running her hand down over her favorite camisole and matching panties as she thought about last night. Really, how upset would Isabel be if they were just a little bitty bit late? The overhead light caught the diamond and she lifted her hand to look at her wedding band where it rested above her engagement ring. For just the space of a moment she was taken back to another day and another mirror as she twirled around, playing a bride and dreaming of her wedding day.

She thought about the conversation she'd had with Future Max after his shocking revelation that they'd eloped and gotten married at 19. They'd had their wedding and it absolutely had not been at the Elvis Chapel in Vegas. She shuddered at the thought.

Ungh, Vegas? And why would they go all the way to Vegas? Why not just get married right there in New Mexico? If they were 19 they were old enough to get married without anyone's permission. Huh, and why would she get married without even her best friend there? He had said she'd called the others and they'd met them halfway, but how had they ended up in Phoenix? Not only was that not halfway, they would've had to go more than a hundred miles out of their way to get to Phoenix. That just didn't make any sense. And why wouldn't they have invited Kyle too? Hadn't he really become part of the group?

She shook her head to rid herself of the thoughts and laughed quietly. "Whoever or whatever you were, you couldn't have been more wrong."

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Max singing along with the radio. His voice was low so she had to move even closer to the door and she winced at the racket.

"Hey, Liz?"

She jumped when he suddenly stopped singing and yelled as loud as he could. She waited a moment before answering. "What is it?"

"I thought you were gonna make breakfast?"

"Oh, I am. It won't be long!" She smiled to herself when he mumbled something under his breath and went back to brushing his teeth. Her arms came up to cross her heart as she soaked up the memory of their evening dancing in each other's arms. "It's gonna be a beautiful day," she said, grinning as the words of their song, sung in Maria's voice, played through her head.

Without conscious thought she closed her eyes, humming along with the song as she stretched her arms out and began to move to the music only she could hear.

"_Show me your face tonight_

_I know it's true_

_No one heals me like you_

_And you hold the key"_

Max leaned in the doorway, his body in a comfortable slouch as he watched his wife swaying to music he couldn't hear. He grinned when he realized that she really couldn't carry a tune, but it didn't matter. He could listen to her all day and be perfectly content. He pushed away from the doorframe as she turned and he caught one of her outstretched hands.

Liz' eyes shot open and her surprised expression slowly melted into a smile and she settled into his arms, feeling as if she was coming home all over again. This was where she belonged, where she wanted to be, and it was on her terms. It wasn't ideal, it was far from perfect, but it was them, together.

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The scent of bacon frying pulled Isabel from a sound sleep and as she rolled over she heard quiet whistling accompanying the subtle sizzling of breakfast meat. She forced herself out of bed and crept to the doorway, peering around the edge to look into the kitchen. Kyle was moving around the kitchen area, whistling along with the radio she had left tuned to a Christmas station last time she'd had it on. He had recently showered, his hair still damp, his bare feet slapping against the floor, and a white tee shirt slung over his shoulder.

He was loose-limbed and his movements were fluid, a good sign that he'd slept well and was feeling relaxed. The bacon suddenly sizzled loudly and a loud pop followed, making him jump back in an effort to avoid the hot grease.

"Ow, ow, ow!" He grabbed his shirt and hurried to wipe the grease off of his chest. "And this's why sausage is the better choice for breakfast meat," he said with a glare at the frying pan. He shook his head and pulled the shirt on before flipping the bacon over.

Isabel chuckled to herself and backed away, leaving him to the breakfast preparations while she took a long hot shower. When she came out she heard him putting plates on the table and she was pulling on a pair of socks when he started making a racket by beating the bottom of a pot with a wooden spoon.

"Come an' get it before it's gone!"

She rolled her eyes and got to her feet. "This isn't a bunkhouse, Kyle, and I'm not a ranch hand."

He grinned and flipped the last pancake onto the plate at the center of the table. He turned to look at her, using the spatula to tip back an imaginary hat. "Got some good eats here, little lady," he said with an exaggerated drawl. "C'mon over an' rustle up a plate."

She laughed and ended up snorting. "Can you call a woman 'little lady' when she's a good inch and a half taller than you are?"

He pointed at her with the spatula, his mouth open to make a comeback, but as his eyes moved up, taking notice of the fact that she was indeed taller, he closed his mouth and nodded. "Point taken and I'll refrain from any Amazon woman comments as long as you keep a lid on the midget comments."

Isabel shook her head as she took her seat and reached for the pancakes. _He made the best pancakes,_ she thought as she took two. She was sure it was probably all those years fending for him and his dad when it came to eating. "I have no such comments," she denied and took a piece of bacon. "You're one of the biggest men I know." She pointed at him with the bacon. "If you intentionally take that the wrong way I'll have to make good on an old threat."

He smiled and shook his head. "I know how to take a compliment." He set the pan on the stove and nodded at the planner waiting on the counter. "So, how much trouble you think you're gonna have getting El Capitan into his Santa getup?"

They fell into conversation easily, enjoying each other's company as they discussed the day's production and lost themselves in the details.

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Dawn was just beginning to break as Michael pulled the refrigerator door open and glanced over the thinning contents. He grabbed the half-empty package of sausage and nodded in satisfaction, content with the fact that they wouldn't be wasting anything when it was time to leave the next morning. He tore the wrapper open and slapped the patties in the pan already heating on the stove and tossed the used carton in the trash. He poured a little grease into another pan and waited for it to heat while he turned the sausage over. He reached for the bowl waiting on the counter and ladled the pancake batter he'd prepared earlier into the frying pan.

He turned to open a drawer, sorting through the cooking utensils, and pulling out a spatula. He glanced over at his girl, her body in a boneless sprawl beneath the covers. His grin was smug as he watched her for a few moments but as he moved to go back to the stove, his gaze slid over the rest of the cabin and he sighed regretfully. She was happy here; she had carved a little niche, not just for herself, but for both of them, and he hated to take that from her. It had been a break from the nonstop adrenaline rush of the road and it had given them an opportunity to work through old issues and finally break down that wall that had been keeping them apart.

He heard Maria stir and he reached for the mug she had taken ownership of, filling it with hot coffee and fixing it the way she liked. He flipped the last pancake over onto a warmed plate and turned the burner off.

Maria opened one eye and took a look around her. She smiled lazily when she saw her Spaceboy tearing open the small package of chocolate chips and eating a fistful as he set about making her favorite pancakes. She had been enjoying the opportunity to lounge around in bed, soaking up the joyous feeling of a night of the most perfect sleep she'd had in months when the smell of food had filtered in and drawn her into the land of the conscious. She closed her eyes and reached out, grabbing Michael's pillows and pulling them up against her, dozing off again with little effort.

Time had little meaning as she settled in that blissful place somewhere between awake and asleep. Her body had melted into the mattress, the weight of the body-warmed covers never more perfect, and the safe, loved feeling of Michael's presence surrounding her. It was the movement of the mattress dipping that brought her eyes open again and her body eased into a languorous stretch. The blankets obediently followed the laws of gravity and she chuckled when Michael's gaze automatically followed their downward slide. Her arm shifted to hold them in place and after a moment his unapologetic gaze lifted to meet the amusement in hers.

"Thought maybe you could use the extra zzz's after the paces Santa put you through last night," he said, smirking as he held out the mug of fresh coffee.

"You make it sound like you were exercising an animal." She rolled her eyes and slapped his chest half-heartedly as her cheeks flushed. She took the mug from him when he grinned unrepentantly at her response and nodded at the coffee. "Winnie the Pooh and breakfast too?"

"Made your favorites," he said with a shrug. "Chocolate chip pancakes with extra chocolate chips and sausage patties. I can keep 'em warm for a while if you wanna grab a shower first."

Maria gently blew on the steaming coffee before taking a sip. Her mind tugged her back to another moment in time when he had made all of her favorites. Dinner, the last meal of the day, and what they had believed to be a final goodbye. This was different. Breakfast, that first meal of the day, and their future, while uncertain, was something they were ready to face together. She smiled and glanced up at him from under her eyelashes. "Well, I'm really in need of a shower." Her lips lifted at the edges in a small, knowing smile. "Thanks, I'll be out in 10. "Well," she lifted the mug and paused before it could touch her lips, "make that 15."

He scratched his eyebrow with his thumb and grinned. "Yeah, just keep it at 15 or less. It's about time for Snowflake to get to hoppin'." He pushed himself to his feet. "Got a long day ahead of us."

She lifted an eyebrow at him. "What do you think the chances are of Snowflake making it through that shower in 15 if Santa joins her?"

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Snowflake crouched down next to Maggie as she looked around at all of the kids waiting to see Santa. "Maggie, I was wondering if you could do Santa a big favor?"

The little girl nodded but before she could answer a sound from outside caught her attention and she turned. She watched, wide-eyed, as the barn doors were suddenly opened, the bells on the reindeers' harnesses jingling merrily and announcing their arrival. "It's him!" Her voice was low but held so much excitement as the sleigh came into view, snow swirling around and blowing through the doors as the jolly old elf appeared. Her gloved hands came up to cover her mouth and her eyebrows rose so high they nearly touched the edge of her elf hat.

"Ho, ho, ho!" Santa boomed as he strode through the throng of children clamoring for his attention. "Merry Christmas!"

"Maggie, Santa knows you're his special helper elf today and he has a big request for you."

"Okay." She looked up at Maria when she motioned to Liz and a moment later the other girl was moving through the crowd, trying to clear a path for Santa.

"He's really here." Maggie's smile was set for the day as she watched him coming closer. He was so much bigger than she had thought he was. She looked back at Maria when she called her name again.

"Santa lost his good glasses so he's gonna need some help reading the letters."

"Help from me?"

"Yes, see, the mailbox has everyone's letters inside but once they go through the slot the writing is changed so that it's invisible and only Santa can read it."

"But his glasses don't work?" Maggie frowned as she studied Santa. "Well, how will he read the letters?"

"That's where he was hoping you could help. If you don't mind, of course. He's asked if you would mind reaching inside before each child comes up, tell him that child's name, then take a look at the letters and tell him the one special thing they want more than anything else."

"But, if it's not there how can I see it?"

"Because as Santa's special helper elf he's granted you the ability to see the invisible letters while you're helping him. No one else will be able to see what's on them, only you. You just tell Santa that child's name and then when you open it up you'll see what that child's special request is. Do you think you can do that for him?"

Maggie nodded and her insides were just bubbling with excitement. She could read Santa's magic invisible ink, something no other elf could do! She looked down at Cindy and lifted her up until they were nose to nose. "You gotta wait for me while I help Santa, okay?" She hugged the little polar bear tightly and then gently placed her next to the magic mailbox where she could watch everything that was going on. _They would have so much to talk about at bedtime!_

Snowflake smiled and gently squeezed the little girl's arm before she stood up with a wink. Isabel was off to the side, set up at her table with a giant card for everyone to sign as they left. She had all of the cards that the children had filled out and dropped in the mailbox and with a little hybrid magic she had changed them so that they looked like regular papers. As Maggie pulled the cards with invisible writing out she would give Santa the child's name and while he was greeting the child she would be opening up his or her card and she would seek out the special gift and make it appear on the card Maggie was looking at.

As much as she would've loved to take credit for that one, Kyle had come up with the idea when Michael had thrown a monkey wrench in the works and asked how he was supposed to know every kid's name. She watched as Snowflake and Candy Cane cleared a path and she hid a smile at the sight of Michael trying as gently as possible to pry a child off of his leg.

Michael finally made it to Santa's throne and he gratefully sank down into the padded seat, free of the clinging monkeys for the moment. He looked to his left and met his helper elf's adoring gaze and he smiled, remembering at the last second to reach up and adjust his glasses. He squinted as he leaned in closer to her, his voice a little gruffer than normal in an effort to disguise it as he spoke to her.

"Maggie Stevens," he boomed, "I had hoped you would accept the position of special helper elf for today's special event. Has Snowflake made my special request?"

Her eyes widened as she nodded mutely. He knew her name! She turned from the waist up but her head never moved as she continued to stare at him. She pointed at the magic mailbox.

"Let's get started then."

Maggie turned her head to look at the line that had quickly formed and she nodded when Maria led the first boy up the path to Santa. She reached inside for the first card and then leaned against Santa's shoulder. "That's Bobby Dawson."

Isabel scanned the letters she had alphabetized and glanced over his list, spotting the number one item, and then making it appear on the card just as Maggie opened it.

The little girl's eyes expressed her surprise as the letters and a picture appeared on the card, sparkling and glittering in silver and blue for a moment before disappearing again. "Wow," she whispered.

"Maggie?"

"Oh, he wants a toy helicopter." She frowned at that and shook her head. "I don't think that's right, Santa," she whispered.

Michael turned to look at her. "Why's that?"

"'Cause his daddy don't got a job anymore since the place he worked closed." She gnawed on her bottom lip for a moment. "I know what he wants 'cause I heard him say at school."

"And what's that?"

"A new pair of hockey skates 'cause his old ones don't fit no more."

Michael's gaze was thoughtful as he looked at the little boy, taking in the hand-me-down clothes, the patch on the leg of his jeans, and the haircut he'd obviously gotten at home. He looked over the line of children waiting to see Santa and he saw a similar pattern with most of them. They were well cared for, neatly groomed, but it was apparent this community was hurting. It was amazing how different things could be. Most of the people in Roswell were by no means wealthy, but the things the kids had asked for had been much more costly.

"Thanks for the heads up, Maggie." He picked the little boy up and sat him on his knee, going through the rigmarole of ho-ho-ho-ing and walking the kid through the process of asking if he'd been a good boy and what he wanted for Christmas this year.

He had a feeling it was gonna be a long day.

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Max was handing out apples to the reindeer when he caught movement from the corner of his eye and he turned his head to look at the boy approaching. He couldn't help but feel self-conscious when the kid gave him the onceover and snickered as he walked up to the pen and hooked his feet on the bottom rail. He wrapped his arms around the top rail and rested his chin on his arm.

"Aren't you kinda big for an elf?" he asked as he shoved a donut in his mouth.

"Not all elves are small," Max countered.

"Are they all as old as you?"

"Old?"

Elliott Gentry pushed his glasses higher up on his nose and turned his head to look at him. "Yeah, old. How come you don't have a real job?"

_Because I'm an alien king on the run from the FBI,_ he thought.

"It's okay, I get it," the little know-it-all said finally. "My mom works some dumb job she doesn't like 'cause it's the only work she could find too." He rolled his eyes as he scanned over the elf outfit again. "I'm sure glad she doesn't have to dress up like that though." He pointed at the reindeer with his half-eaten donut. "It's completely illogical that reindeer can fly."

"It's Christmas magic."

"I'm 11 and I know you're not a real elf, Santa isn't real, and reindeer don't fly."

Max narrowed his eyes. "Can you prove they can't?"

"Can you prove they can?"

"It's not Christmas Eve."

The kid polished off the donut and shook his head as he crossed his arms over his chest. "How does," he raised his hands to make air quotes, "Santa deliver all the presents all over the world?" His gaze was challenging. "Tell me about the magic. Or the different time zones. Or how not everyone believes in him. Or maybe how he can stop time."

"Wow, could you be more negative if you tried?"

He shrugged. "Probably."

_What was this kid's problem?_ "Why are you here if you don't buy into the Santa thing?" he asked as he rubbed his neck.

"Why're you here?"

"Because my sister would have a fit if I wasn't," he answered honestly.

"Yeah." He turned to point at a little girl sitting on Santa's knee. "I'm only here 'cause of my little sister. She's still a kid and she believes in Santa."

"But you don't."

"What's the point? Last time I asked for somethin' he blew me off."

"Yeah?"

"They closed down the factory where my dad worked and he couldn't find a job." He looked at the elf again. "You're old, so if Santa could find a job for you, why not my dad? He just needed work but he couldn't get any so he left."

_Ah, now his hostility towards Santa made sense,_ Max mused. "So you're the man of the house now."

He straightened up. "Yeah, so I don't have time for stuff like this."

"That's too bad. Even when things are tough you've gotta have something to believe in. Used to be I didn't believe in much of anything either, but my wife's been workin' on me and these days it's a little easier to see that there are possibilities out there."

"Is your wife an elf too?" he asked skeptically, his tone making it known that he still wasn't buying into the elf business.

Max chuckled and nodded at Liz. "Yeah, she's an elf too."

The boy's mouth dropped open. "_That's_ your wife? Really?"

"Um-hmm."

"She's really pretty. I was talkin' to Eddie earlier – he's in my class at school, and he thinks that other girl elf's the prettiest, but," he shook his head, "I think that one is."

He nodded. "Yeah, I'm biased, but I have to agree. So, you're just here for your sister?"

"Yeah, she still believes in this stuff and my mom says it's good for her to be happy." He looked at him again. "She knows I know the truth though."

"I thought I knew the truth too." Max glanced around, making sure everyone was busy watching Santa and all the little kids excitedly waiting for their turn to sit on his lap. "See, my sister roped me into working for the big guy – "

"Are you about to say you believe all this?"

"Well, I didn't, but then I saw something that made me wonder if maybe there's more to it."

"What'd you see?"

He hooked his thumb over his shoulder, indicating the reindeer. "See Dancer over there? The way he kicks his hooves up every once in a while? Watch him long enough and you'll see him stay airborne for a few seconds at a time. I'm not a science genius or anything, but, what goes up must come down, right? Well, based on that little fact, he shouldn't stay up in the air at all, right?"

"Are you foolin' with me?"

"Nope, just watch him." He let the suspense build for several minutes, his gaze constantly scanning over the people in the barn. When Dancer finally moved back behind the others and kicked his feet up, Max placed a calming hand on Cupid's flank and focused on the other reindeer, lifting him up and keeping him there for several seconds before carefully easing him down again.

Elliott's eyes widened and he moved around the pen, following the reindeer and studying his hooves. He had seen it, but he didn't believe it. He ducked down, his eyes locked on the animal he was tracking. His mind was going over the possibilities as he waited to see if the reindeer would do it again.

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Michael adjusted his fake glasses and looked down at the little girl waiting for her turn to climb up in his lap. He had been watching her for a while as she hung back, letting other kids go in front of her and staying at the end of the line. He leaned to the side when Maggie, his most helpful assistant elf, tugged on the sleeve of his coat. She had inside information on all of the kids in the community and thanks to Kyle's quick thinking, she was sharing names and any helpful hints she had about special things they wanted.

"That's Evelyn Finch, she's real quiet but she's nice." Maggie pulled the next slip of paper from the mailbox and opened it up, scanning the inside and then giving Santa a confused look. "Santa?"

Michael looked down at her, wondering at her expression. "What's up, Maggie?"

"She just asked for a tree and presents, she didn't say what she wants most."

He pushed the glasses up higher on his nose and looked over her shoulder at the slip of paper before turning to shoot a glance at Isabel. He sighed when she shook her head and shrugged, but he quickly covered it up when Snowflake touched his arm and called his name.

"Merry Christmas, Evelyn," he boomed as he picked her up and placed her on his knee. "My list says you've been very good this year."

She smiled and stared down at her fingers.

Her behavior was setting off warning bells. He lowered his voice as he spoke to her. "Did I understand your letter correctly? You'd like a Christmas tree?"

"Yes," she said quietly. "And some presents for my sister and my mommy."

"Evelyn, get finished up," a male voice called loudly. "Your mom and sister are headin' out to the car."

She looked up at the man who had appeared out of nowhere. "Yes, Daddy."

Michael tensed up when the man cracked open a beer and took a long drink while he waited for the girl to wrap things up so they could go. His head snapped to the side when a hand landed on his shoulder and he looked up at Edward. The older man gave a gentle shake of his head, tightened his grip for a moment, and then looked down at the little girl. He spoke with her for a moment and then smiled, urging her to take her time and finish her business with Santa before he stepped around his own little girl and walked over to Evelyn's dad.

"Ray, how's it goin' today?" he asked.

The man blinked slowly and then he focused on Edward. "It happened again?" His voice expressed confusion and even a bit of shame.

Edward smiled as he reached over and removed the beer from his hand. "Why don't we have a cup of hot cider, huh? It's just too cold for one of these today."

The man, Ray, nodded, his head down as he walked with Edward to the refreshment table.

"And, maybe you could make my daddy better."

Michael's gaze dropped to the little girl in his lap and he hugged her. "Don't you worry, Evelyn, you're on Santa's list." He lowered his head, tipping her chin up so he could meet her downcast eyes. It wasn't just embarrassment, he realized. She was accustomed to her situation and it saddened her. "You remember one thing for me, okay?"

She wiped her fisted hand over her right eye and nodded.

"You're a very good girl and there's nothing wrong with asking for help and accepting it. It's easier to ask for help," he winked, "or gifts for others, but it's okay to ask for you too. You deserve good things and you're gonna get them."

She studied him for a moment, looking into his kind eyes, and finding what she was looking for. She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly and he tried not to wince when it pulled on the glue Isabel had used to stick the stupid beard to his face. He looked at his helper when Evelyn slid down off of his lap, nodding and holding up two fingers when she reached for the tray of Santa cookies she handed out to the kids after their visit with him.

"Thank you, Santa," Evelyn said with a soft smile before she saw her mother and sister and scampered off to join them.

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Michael was leaning over to set little Robbie Wilson down when he caught a flash of color in his peripheral vision. The reaction was instantaneous; sweat began to form at the center of his back, his heart started to pound, his blood began to rush in his ears, and every protective instinct he possessed kicked into overdrive.

Standing next to him, Maria caught his reaction, and she rested a hand on his shoulder as she turned her head to see what had caused it. Her own instincts reared their head as she saw the black SUV with some sort of official local government emblem emblazoned on the door. She heard him snap out an order for Liz to come closer, using a request for fresh cookies to cover the real reason.

The uniformed officer did nothing to calm Michael's nerves and the serious expression on her face only added to his concerns. The air around him was practically crackling with electricity and he only remembered to breathe when his girlfriend squeezed his shoulder. The badge on the cop's jacket caught the overhead light, drawing attention to the fact that she was a law enforcement officer.

"Edward, I wasn't sure I was gonna make it," she called out as she neared Santa and his elves.

The older man smiled and shook her hand. "I'm glad you did." He hadn't missed Michael's reaction, but after seeing how protective he was with little Evelyn Finch, his previous thoughts that he'd had his own struggles that made him so overprotective with his friends had solidified in his mind.

"So am I." She smiled as she neared the man of the hour. "Santa, I'm glad I had the opportunity to get down here to meet you and your elves." She lowered her voice slightly so it wouldn't carry to the kids milling around impatiently, waiting to see the big man himself. "I never dreamed we had a genuine celebrity in our midst when I heard about you folks breaking down out here."

Michael smiled tightly, grateful for the beard that covered the majority of his face. It had only taken a moment to check the patch on her uniform jacket to determine that she wasn't a regular cop. The patch proudly stated: Tawas Lake Peace Officer, Constable. Constable or cop, it didn't matter. A cop was a cop. What exactly had Edward told her? What if she had done a background on them and their cover story hadn't held water? What if she had discovered who they really were? That they were wanted by the FBI? What if she was just keeping it casual, passing the time until the Special Unit could arrive and cart them off?

Max moved closer, his hands flexing as he took up a position close to his wife. Without looking he was aware of Kyle coming in and taking his place between Maria and Isabel. He hoped things weren't about to go south but he could feel the tension radiating out from all of them.

Before Michael's thoughts could go much further she smiled easily, but it was plain to see by the look in her eyes that she didn't miss anything.

"Merry Christmas, Santa."

His hands gripped the armrests as he pushed himself to his feet in response to the hand she held out in his direction. He accepted her hand, almost holding his breath as he waited to see if she was gonna slap handcuffs on him.

"I don't suppose introductions are necessary on your side," she said with a laugh. "I'm Constable Stone. It's a pleasure to have you here." She smiled with a sideways nod at Edward. "He's kind of an old woman about things, but you can't blame a man with a family for being concerned when a bunch of strangers show up at his door in the middle of the night, can you? I told him not to worry, but just to be safe, ran your plates." She chuckled and shook her head. "Poor man was relieved when I assured him nothing out of the ordinary had showed up. Like Julia, I kinda just had a feeling there was a reason you had broken down in our neck of the woods."

Edward shrugged and reached up to scratch his neck when he felt Julia's eyes on him. He turned his attention back to Constable Stone in an effort to ignore that itchy feeling that warned him his loving wife hadn't missed a word. He had known the Constable for years though at nearly 50 she was older than him. She was part Chippewa with long dark hair that was interspersed with wisps of grey, though she wore it in a ponytail beneath her uniform hat so someone casually speaking with her probably wouldn't even notice.

She was medium height with a medium build and dark eyes. Her right cheek had a tendency to dimple when she smiled and she was a woman used to working hard. Her family raised horses and she had grown up working hard and she had the strength of body and mind to prove it. She wore little jewelry, the single exception being the wide white gold band with a star pattern carved into it on her left ring finger. She was a fiercely independent woman and she had served their community well.

"I suppose presenting something like a key to the city is kinda hokey," she said with a laugh, "and probably something a mayor would do anyway. However, I was asked to present you and your elves with a small symbol of our appreciation for your hard work, your kindness, and your generosity in making this evening happen for our little community." She reached up to unzip her jacket and brought out a small wooden plaque that she held out to him.

Michael looked down at the hard-carved wooden plaque, his fingers tracing over the figures of Santa Claus and a handful of elves and between them, the words: If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you.

"The Michigan state motto," she said with a smile. "We thought it'd be easier to read if we didn't put it in Latin. It's just our way of saying thanks and you'll always be welcome here." She stepped back and motioned to the children behind her. "I think you have your work cut out for you, Santa. If I don't get the chance to talk to you again later, I do hope you and your elves will all have a very Merry Christmas."

He nodded mutely and sat back down, grateful when Maria reached for the plaque and used the motion to cover for her rubbing his arm to calm him down.

"Need to take a break, Spaceboy?" she asked quietly.

He shook his head. "No, but I could sure use a drink," he said, his voice rough. His throat felt like sandpaper. He looked over at Edward and nodded when the man smiled and sent Maggie back over to pull out the next card from the magic mailbox.

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Maggie pulled the lid up on the cooler hidden behind Santa's throne and pulled a bottle drink out, knocking the lid back down with her elbow and stepping back up beside Santa to offer him the refreshment. She looked around the barn and spotted her best friend standing over by the reindeer pen. Kyle was crouched down next to her, talking while showing her that it was okay to pet the large animals.

"Santa?"

Michael was enjoying the lull in the rush of children when Maggie called him. He looked at her and raised an eyebrow in question, following her gaze as he accepted the Snapple she held out to him. He watched her little friend, well aware that her eyes kept darting to him before skirting away again. She had moved with the line a few times but each time she got close to the front of the line she would disappear.

He kept an eye on her as what appeared to be the last wave of curious, beard-pulling, wish-mongers were unleashed on him. They really weren't that bad as long as he ignored the ones who thought pulling his beard was necessary to proving he was who he said he was. They didn't ask for gifts that were unrealistic or expensive, and if Santa was the emotional type a few of them probably would've brought a tear to his eye.

As the line dwindled down and he was faced with his last little visitor he smiled at quiet, shy Michelle. She stood next to her grandmother, clutching her hand tightly. She was wearing leggings that matched her blue coat, the hood pulled up protectively. Her eyes would lift every once in a while, trying to decide about actually climbing up on his knee.

"She's just a bit shy, Santa," Mrs. Dayna said with a smile. She patted her granddaughter's hand when she felt the little girl's grip tighten.

"Me an' Michelle, we're best friends, Santa. We do everything together."

"Everything?" he asked.

"Oh, yes. See, sometimes Michelle likes me to talk 'cause she's kinda quiet. Last year we even saw you together, remember?"

He pursed his lips and squinted his eyes thoughtfully as he looked between the two girls, pretending not to notice when Michelle quickly looked away when their eyes met. "Hmm… I think I do."

"Watch this, Michelle!" Maggie whispered loudly. Her eyes locked on Santa and she leaned on the arm of his throne, bouncing on the tips of her toes and making the little bells jingle incessantly.

_Don't screw this one up, Santa,_ Michael thought. He had never been to see Santa, had only ever really been around the whole fat elf thing when he had played the role the year before. He wasn't surprised that Maggie was the mouthpiece for her friend; that had been apparent the night they had strung popcorn and cranberries up at Mr. Tony's house.

Dayna reached up under the guise of scratching her nose and held two fingers up as she nodded at the girls.

He gave a brief nod and adjusted the glasses that kept slipping down his nose. "Seems to me I recall the two of you sitting together."

"See?!" Maggie ran over and grabbed Michelle's hand, giving her an encouraging tug. "C'mon, Michelle, let's take our turn."

"You go first," Michelle mumbled as she squeezed her grandmother's hand again.

"Okay, it's not scary. I'll show you." She ran over to Santa and he caught her, lifting her up and sitting her on his knee.

Dayna picked her granddaughter up when she whispered a request and she settled her on Santa's knee, right next to Maggie. She stepped back, careful to stay in sight in case Michelle changed her mind.

Michael glanced up when Snowflake appeared at his left shoulder, holding out the magic wish list, and he thanked her as he accepted it. He grabbed his empty Snapple bottle off of the opposite arm of the throne and handed it to her. "Thanks, Snowflake." He was oblivious to her eye roll as he opened the card up and then looked at Michelle over his glasses.

"You like to draw," he mused. "Santa has tried that in the past with limited success." He glanced down when he realized she was twisting something in her hands and he tipped his head slightly to see what it was before he looked over the list again. "Hmm… and you're a reader too. That's good. Santa enjoys a good book." He patted her arm reassuringly. "There's something else here…"

Michelle looked up at him, her eyes shining hopefully. "You see something else?" Her eyes widened as if she was surprised to hear herself speak. She leaned forward to look at the list but couldn't see anything but the paper.

"It's special writing, Michelle," Maggie said when she saw the disappointed look on her best friend's face. "Only Santa can see it."

"Oh." She looked up at him again. "What's it say?"

"It says here that what you really want…" he squinted and brought the card up close to his face, "yes, here it is… you want a puppy."

She gasped loudly and looked at the card again. "It's magic," she whispered. She turned to look at Maggie. "You're right, he's really him." She smiled timidly up at Santa. "Do you think maybe I'll get my puppy?"

Michael glanced at Dayna and he caught the subtle nod in response to his questioning look. "Don't wait too long to open your gifts on Christmas morning," he said with a warm smile.

Her shyness took a backseat at his answer and she hugged him tightly before leaning back and pushing Maggie towards him. "Now you gotta do yours," she whispered loudly.

"Well…" Maggie smiled at Santa. "I didn't put a card in the mailbox."

"No, you didn't," he said with a nod. "Snowflake, there's one last card in that mailbox. Be a good elf and fetch it for me." His eyes twinkled mirthfully as he held his hand out expectantly. He would pay for it later and he'd love every minute of it.

Maggie's eyes were huge when she saw the paper that was placed in Santa's hand. "He gave it to you. Michael said he'd give it to you and he did! I knew he would! He said he knows you an' I believed him! He knows everything about you!"

"Yes, we're old friends." He smiled as he unfolded the paper and he carefully smoothed it out to avoid tearing it. "Maggie, you've been the best elf helper Santa's ever had and that's important, but it's not the most important thing. You've been very good this year and Santa knows that. You look for that puppy this Christmas," he said with a wink. "And you make sure not to overlook Miss Cindy's new scarf. I understand Rudolph tried to take a nibble and he's very sorry he did that. So the new scarf is from both of us."

Maria smiled and brushed back tears of happiness as she watched her boyfriend, once again being adored by the two little girls. He could pretend to be unaffected but she knew better. He was in his element and having just as much fun as they were.

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Michael was finally out of the Santa suit and lounging against a support post by the refreshment table. The kids, while annoying at times, had really made him realize just how important what they were doing was. He was glad Isabel had insisted they put on the Christmas on the Lake production, but he would never admit it out loud. He turned his head when someone joined him and he nodded at Edward. "Long day, huh?"

The older man chuckled as he checked his watch. "And it isn't even dinnertime yet." He sobered as he took up residence on the other side of the post. "You were good with Evelyn Finch this afternoon."

He shrugged. "She made it easy."

"Raymond, her dad, he was injured at the factory he worked at." He motioned at his head. "It messed with him pretty badly and caused some neurological issues."

"So he self medicates with alcohol? Great answer to the problem," he muttered.

"I'm not sayin' I condone it. He wasn't always like this, Michael." He shrugged one shoulder. "He's a good man, just hit a rough patch that hasn't let up. His family has a community here to help them."

"Havin' a parent that lives in the bottle, it's isolating for a kid."

"We do our best, that's all anyone can do."

"Yeah." He sighed. "It was nice, what you did. Taking him aside and getting the spotlight off of her." He knew from experience what it was like to have that unwanted attention. "All she wanted was a Christmas tree and some friggin' presents, not even anything specific."

Edward clapped him on the shoulder. "Don't worry, Michael; Santa always stops in at the Finch house on Christmas Eve." He pushed away from the post when his wife called him. "They'll be okay."

"You okay?"

He looked down when Maria sidled up next to him and his arm settled around her shoulders as hers slid around his waist. "Could be worse," he murmured with a nod at the Reindeer Wrangler. Max was still in costume as he finished up with the reindeer.

"I heard he had a difficult little boy earlier."

"Yeah, probably the same one that tried his damnedest to pull that stupid beard off. Kid probably took a couple layers of flesh with him."

She chuckled and reached up to turn his head, brushing her fingers over a reddened patch of skin where the glue that had held the beard in place had been pulled and jerked more than once that day. "I think you'll live."

"Probably. Don't know how long it'll take for the skin to grow back."

"Could be anywhere from a couple days to a few weeks," a helpful voice spoke up.

Michael rolled his eyes and turned to look at Buckeye as he passed them. He was helping some of the others carry things out before leaving. "That a fact?" he asked.

"Yup, it's a fact." He nodded at them and continued on his way.

"That guy ever went on a game show he'd clean up." He looked down when he felt something pulling on his coat and he smiled at Maggie. "Heard you did a pretty amazing job today," he said as he picked her up.

She smiled and nodded enthusiastically as she squished Cindy between her body and his shoulder. "It was fun, Michael! And Santa got my picture you gave him!" She hugged his neck. "I'm gonna get my puppy!"

He patted her back and smiled. "I kinda thought maybe you would."

"Can we go say goodbye to Rudy an' Cupid an' the others?"

Maria gave him a little push. "Go ahead, I'll check with Isabel and see if there're any last minute elf instructions before we head back to the cabins."

He nodded and shifted Maggie, catching Maria's hand and squeezing it as he met her gaze. He sighed quietly at the slight, welcome weight as the little girl rested her head on his shoulder and her body relaxed in his arms. There were things in the world that moved people, great works of art, impressive structures, and grandiose acts, but to him those things meant nothing. It was this right here, the simple unquestioning trust and faith of a little girl that moved him. He walked over to the pen where the reindeer were milling around, pawing at the hay on the ground and occasionally using their antlers to rattle the sides of the pen.

"Michael?"

"Um-hmm?"

"Where were you today? I seen everybody else, but I never did see you."

"Oh, I was close by," he assured her. "Isabel kept me busy."

She lifted her head to look at him. "She's real good at tellin' people what to do, huh?"

"She's real good at that," he agreed.

"But you didn't get to see Santa an' he was so nice." She reached out to pat his cheek, rubbing her soft palm over the coarse stubble starting to make its early evening appearance. With the tips of her fingers she traced over the reddened area on his cheek and she stared into his eyes, her expression thoughtful.

Michael was sure he was on the verge of being unmasked as she studied him. Was it possible she might see through the rather thin disguise and figure it out? He didn't want the last little bit of time he had with her to be spent with her thinking he had been playing a prank on her, pretending to be Santa.

"I'm glad you know Santa," she said finally. "He must be a very nice friend to have. I think he's the luckiest one though 'cause you're his friend." She leaned in to kiss his cheek. "I'm glad you're my friend too, Michael."

"Yeah, me too." He cleared his throat and nodded. He had his select, but small, group of friends but they didn't exactly talk about it. Their friendship just… was. He smiled tightly. "I'm glad you're my friend too, Maggie," he said gruffly. He hugged her just a little tighter. He was gonna miss her. And he was gonna miss her a lot.

She frowned as she watched the reindeer for a moment. "Do you think these are really the reindeer that pull Santa's sleigh? 'Cause they're a long ways from the North Pole an' it's getting close to Christmas."

"Santa told me you'd wonder about that."

She looked at him. "Really?"

"Yeah, and he wanted me to tell you that they'll be home in plenty of time to rest before the big night. He said it's real important for Rudolph to rest because there's gonna be some rough patches of weather."

"Michael? Do you think they'll be okay if the weather's bad?"

"Oh, yeah. He's got that red nose that blinks and stuff, right?"

She tipped her head to the side as she watched Rudolph, her eyes locked on his nose as he lifted his head to sniff the air. "Do you think his nose is hidden, like Donner did in the movie?" She leaned in to whisper, "It made him talk all funny like when Daddy has a cold." She giggled and buried her face against his shoulder for a moment before looking at the reindeer again.

"Well, y'know, he doesn't let just anybody see it." He scratched his chin and glanced around while she was watching Rudolph. Kyle and the boys were helping Stefanie load the trailer with the reindeers' gear, Isabel was busy organizing the cleanup, the girls were busy gathering up the dishes and leftover treats, and Julia and Dayna were talking over by the barn doors, watching Edward and some of the other men as they talked out by the vehicles. He caught Max's eye and nodded at Cupid, letting him know to keep him occupied.

Maggie reached out to pet Rudolph when he shuffled over to them. Her eyes widened and her mouth formed a surprised _O_ when his nose suddenly turned red and blinked a couple of times before holding steady for several long seconds. Her hand moved down to touch it before it dimmed and his nose was once again black. "Michael, did you see it?" she whispered excitedly.

"Shhh, it's one of those Santa secrets."

"I won't tell." She hugged him. "I love you, Michael."

She said it so easily, so honestly, and he cleared his throat, forcing down the lump that had appeared out of nowhere. "Love you too, Maggie." He kissed her forehead and patted her back. "We'd better say our goodbyes," he said when he saw Travis coming in with a lead in his hand. "I think they're getting ready to start back to the North Pole."

Yeah, he was gonna miss her and he knew he'd never forget her no matter how many miles or years were between them.


	57. Chapter 57

**Author's Note: **A few lines in this part were borrowed from the Roswell Season One episode Sexual Healing and the Roswell Season Three episode A Tale of Two Parties.

**Part 57**

Kyle was slouched down on the loveseat; his legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles below the coffee table. The six of them had separated after cleaning up over at Mr. Tony's and they had gone to their own cabins to have a bite to eat before meeting up again. Isabel had insisted on making dinner and he had been happy to kick back while she did. She had made hamburger steak with mashed potatoes and gravy, corn on the cob, dinner rolls, and a salad. She must've asked Julia or someone to pick the stuff up at some point because he knew they hadn't had any of that in the kitchen before they set out that morning.

He pointed the remote at the television and switched to the next station, shifting to one side when Isabel leaned in to inch the table over and blocked his view of the screen. He shifted the other way when she switched sides and when she was finally satisfied that it was in the correct position she moved on. He watched her as she moved around the room, rearranging the smaller pieces of furniture.

Since the moment she had discovered that her talents could be used for the Christmas on the Lake production she had been able to keep herself occupied. But now that it was over she was left with too much time on her hands and she was looking for something to keep her busy. He flipped to the next station and sighed when he ran into the weather station yet again. He watched as the reporter rattled off the forecast for the following day, glancing at Isabel when she muttered something under her breath.

They would be leaving in the morning, slipping out before dawn if El Capitan had anything to say about it. He hadn't missed Michael's interaction with Maggie at the end of the evening and he knew without asking he had said goodbye in his own indomitable way. He wondered if the little girl had somehow, unknowingly, sensed it. He had seen the way she had hugged him, seen the hybrid hug her back just as tightly after saying their goodbyes to the reindeer.

"And it looks like we'll be seeing another five to eight inches of snow by morning," the weather reporter droned on. He turned and made a circling motion over the map. "If conditions are right we may just be seeing an additional five to eight inches of snow in the afternoon." _Great, just when they were supposed to be on the road._ Not the kind of news that would make a certain cranky hybrid happy.

Who made these forecasts up? How much knowledge was necessary to tell people what the weather was like at that moment or the day before? Hell, he could do that. If you wanted to know what the weather was like at the moment, walk outside! They got the forecast wrong at least half of the time if not more. Most of the time the forecast was preceded by the words, "we could", "we may", or "there's a chance of…" It was ridiculous. What was the point of watching the weather report?

He shook his head at the television and then shifted to glance at the door when the knock he had been waiting for finally came. He shut the TV off and leaned forward to place the remote on the coffee table, glancing around as he got up and realizing that Isabel had retreated to her room. "Hey, they're here," he called as he walked to the door.

"Be out in a minute," she yelled back.

He pulled the door open wide and stepped to the side as Michael and Maria hurried inside. "Hey, how's it…" he watched as Michael took off like a shot, heading for the kitchen, "going?"

Michael moved around the tiny kitchen, lifting the lids off of pots and pans as he inspected what little remained from dinner. His eyebrows lifted in interest when he spotted several tempting morsels in the frying pan and he scrounged up a fork to scarf up the last few bites of hamburger steak.

"I would say you'll have to excuse him," Maria said as she rolled her eyes at his behavior, "but really, there's no excuse."

Kyle shrugged as he followed the hybrid around, kicking bits of snow that had fallen off of Michael's boots back towards the door.

By the time Isabel came into the room, Max and Liz had arrived and they were shedding their outerwear, and Michael had discovered the gravy. "So, we gotta talk about what happens when you take off with someone else on these little disappearing acts," he mumbled around a bite of gravy-drenched meat. "Maria came back sick as a dog and you looked like crap." He was tossing the fork in the sink when he spotted a half-eaten roll on one of the plates waiting to be scraped and washed. "Oooh, yeah." He snatched it up and dragged it through the gravy before shoving the whole thing in his mouth.

"God, Michael, that's gross," Isabel muttered. "Didn't you eat before coming over?"

"Yeah, we had see food," Maria spoke up.

"No point lettin' leftovers go bad," he mumbled as he searched for the bread and undid the tie to pull out a slice. "Like this? See?" He held up what had to be a new loaf of bread as he twisted the tie back into place. "Clear out the leftovers before we leave in the mornin'."

"Yeah," Maria said dryly, "and that fried spam sandwich really hit the spot. I can't imagine how it could've been any better."

Michael frowned as he soaked up the gravy with the bread and took a big bite. Why'd their leftover food look better than theirs? Well, besides the fact that they hadn't had any leftovers when they'd finished dinner. He knew Isabel was a finicky eater and she didn't care for leftovers but she'd learned to deal with them the past few months. "Anyway, like I was sayin' about the last time you guys took a trip down the yellow brick road…"

"We were fine."

He leveled a look at his girlfriend's obviously incorrect statement. "You were not fine." He shook his head and wiped his hands on his pants as he took a couple of steps toward Maria.

"I was fine," she insisted.

"Oh, so that wasn't you that high-tailed it to the john to blow chow?"

She made a face at his less than eloquent question. "No, that's not what I meant, Michael. We were fine when we got to the Sheriff's house. I was nauseous, but it wasn't any worse than if I'd been on a rollercoaster after a big lunch. And Kyle was fine."

"Michael, it only makes sense there would be some disorientation with something like this," Liz said, hoping to break the tension in the room. "It's not just a projection thing; they were physically transported what, like 1,600 miles in a split second. Even Kyle experienced the nausea that first time."

Kyle nodded when all eyes turned to him. "Yeah, I just didn't pay tribute to the porcelain god afterwards." He shrugged when Maria glared at him. "What? I have a lot more experience controlling that reflex."

"Yeah," Liz muttered to Max when she felt him move to stand next to her, "he didn't have that kind of control freshman year."

"Yeah, that whole barfing after a beer blast thing?" He chuckled and shook his head. "I can't imagine how the magic slipped away."

She rolled her eyes at him and shoved her elbow in his ribs for effect.

"Michael, if you're done licking the plates clean maybe we can get this show on the road," he suggested.

"Yeah." He dropped the lid on the now empty gravy pan and started snooping around again.

"Was there something else you needed, Michael?" Isabel asked when he reached for the refrigerator door.

"You guys have dessert?"

"Really? No, we didn't have dessert. But as I recall Maria said you're rather fond of pop tarts, so have one of those."

"You got the cookies an' cream ones?"

Her back teeth ground together. "No."

He shrugged and moved back into the living area. "Alright, let's get this thing rollin'."

Max scratched the back of his head as he looked at Kyle. "So, um, how does this work exactly?"

"Well…" Kyle's eyebrows were mobile as he shifted from one foot to the other and smiled uncomfortably. "We, y'know, have to be in contact, and then I focus on my dad."

"Okay, so you two need to hold hands," Michael said and motioned for them to move closer together. "Let's go, c'mon." He shook his head at their hesitant movements. "You're gonna have to get over yourselves and man up here."

"Maybe you could skip the pep talk, Michael, 'cause it's really not helping," Max growled. He looked at Kyle's hand for a moment before lifting his gaze to meet his eyes. "Look, I know things haven't been easy between us lately, but I just wanted you to know…"

Kyle's hand shot up to stop the flow of words. "We're about to hold hands, El Presidente, so I think we can skip the chick talk. The needle in the creep meter's spiking dangerously close to nightmare territory." He forced a smile. "I got it though, thanks."

"I don't like this," Michael said suddenly.

"Yeah, we're not that happy about it either, El Capitan."

"Not the holdin' hands thing." He shook his head as he went over the last time they had done this… unintentionally. "The sheriff said the surveillance on them's calmed down." He looked at Max. "Why would the Special Unit just back off like that?"

Kyle rolled his shoulders as he considered the question. "Maybe it put a drain on their resources following them around 24/7."

"What if it's more a matter of giving them a false sense of security?" Liz asked.

Michael glanced at Maria and saw the tension draw her features tight as she came to the same conclusion he and everyone else in the room had come to.

"You're saying our parents could be taken at any time," Isabel spoke up. "They'd use them to get to us, to force us out of hiding." She looked at her brother. "Max?" Her eyes locked on him, seeking reassurance and finding it in his response.

"It's gonna be okay, Iz." His chin dropped as he looked up into her eyes. "There's a plan in place, remember? They're planning to leave when the time's right and as of the last time Kyle and Maria saw his dad they're all safe."

Maria reached for Michael, slipping her arm around his waist as she looked up at him. "So, Max and Kyle go and meet the sheriff to get the details. We'll know more after the meeting."

"No." He shook his head as his arm tightened around her shoulders. "No one goes with Valenti. We can't be separated. If we're wrong the price is too high and one of us could be taken as well. We can't risk putting the entire group at risk."

Kyle sighed and started to pace, aware of Michael's gaze following his every move. The longer they waited to get this thing underway the more it was wearing on his nerves.

"All I'm sayin' is if Kyle were to get caught he could make it back. He has the best chance of getting away if he's spotted."

"And what if they drug him the way they did Max?" Isabel demanded. "Then what? We can't just send him in without backup."

Kyle's steps slowed as he neared Isabel and he held his hands up. "Let's all just stop this right now. Nobody's gonna drug anybody. Let's just make this easier on all of us, okay? I'll go back alone, get my dad, and bring him back here." He looked around the room, meeting their uncertain eyes. "I'm the only one who can get to my dad. Michael's right, we shouldn't be separated tonight. If something goes wrong we have a better chance of helping them if we're all together. So… I have this… this power that I didn't ask for, but if I can use it to save my dad or anyone else I'm gonna use it."

A small knowing smile appeared on Max's face and he reached up to rub his jaw as he addressed Kyle. "Make sure you're not seen and if you feel like you're at risk at any time…"

He nodded. "Got it." He turned to look at Isabel and reached over to squeeze her hand. "Don't worry, I'll be back in no time."

Max cleared his throat to get their attention. "Kyle, maybe you should bring him back to our cabin," he suggested. "It's warmer there."

Kyle snorted and shook his head. "Don't worry, I'll tell him to bring a coat. We're already here so there's no reason to haul ass back over to your place. I'll be back before you'd even be geared up and I think right here works fine." He grinned and took a step back. He gave Isabel one last look and a teasing wink. "Leave a light on, Sugar Muffin."

Michael pulled Maria up against him and turned to look at Kyle just as he disappeared from sight.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Jim parked in the driveway and grabbed his thermos before opening the door and ducking his head against the wind. He leaned in for his hat, putting it on and pushing it down. He shoved the door closed and looked around. As had become habit, he did a perimeter check of the house and made sure nothing was out of place before pulling his keys off of his belt and unlocking the front door.

He used the toe of his boot to close it again before turning to drop the small panel at the bottom of the alarm that was steadily beeping. Silence fell over the house again as soon as the security code had been entered and he shook his head. In all of his years he'd never once felt the need for his doors to be locked or to have every potential entrance or exit wired to alert him to an intruders presence. And truth be told, it probably wouldn't make a difference if the Special Unit paid him a visit – they had ways around these things. He sighed and wished he'd thought twice about stopping at the Crashdown and grabbing a bite to eat. But it wasn't the same. He cursed under his breath and crossed the room, fumbling around to turn on the Christmas tree. He stared at it for a moment before turning it off again. Nothing was the same anymore.

He shook his head and turned to go into the kitchen, navigating the rooms in the dark and wondering if he had anything in the refrigerator to make a sandwich with. He set the thermos on the counter, ignoring the clatter when he knocked over the empty coffee mug he'd left there that morning and opening the refrigerator to peruse its contents. There were a few bottles of beer, a bottle of ketchup, and numerous takeout boxes shoved on the shelves. Not much different than when he'd been on his own at 21. Ungh, 25 years and change and here he was basically in the same spot.

Well, that was a depressing thought. He pushed the door closed and left the kitchen. Maybe he'd feel better after a hot shower. Once again navigating in the dark he moved through the hall that led to his bedroom, not expecting it when he ran into something that felt suspiciously like a body. He reacted instinctively, reaching for his service weapon as he grabbed the person and spun them around, shoving them up against the wall.

The sounds of something falling, glass shattering, and his thumb releasing the safety barely registered as he pressed the gun to the base of the intruder's neck.

"Dad, Dad, it's me!"

Jim's heart was racing as he quickly lowered his weapon to his side and he stretched his arm out, feeling along the wall until he found the light switch. They blinked owlishly against the light that flooded the hallway and his features relaxed when he saw his son standing before him. "Jeez Louise, Kyle."

"So much for checking your gun at the front door, huh?" He released a shuddering breath when he heard the quiet sound of the safety being reset on the gun his dad held.

"The Special Unit doesn't stop to ask questions. You're here for the meeting?" He looked around. "Where's Max?"

"Change of plans. We decided it'd be safer if you came to us." He held his hand out. "Don't let go of me no matter what. I have no idea what happens if you let go."

"Hold on, Kyle, there's somethin' I need to take with us."

He nodded. "I'll wait here."

Jim hurried back the way he had come but paused at the end of the hall to turn and look at his son. "Don't… Just don't go anywhere."

"I won't. Hey, Dad? Maria's mom, she's been hanging around a lot?"

"Yeah, it helps to be with someone who understands what the other person's goin' through." He took his hat off and scratched his head. "We haven't talked about it or anything so I don't know that it's goin' anywhere – "

"No, no, no, Dad! Really, you don't have to share. I was just wondering if she's brought over anything homemade she makes?" He shrugged. "Just be nice to have a piece of home to take back to the others."

A wide grin lit up Jim's face and he retraced his steps to pull his son into a bear hug. He hadn't been thinking about anything that fell in the dessert category when he had been searching for food a few minutes earlier. "Yeah, yeah, I've got somethin' in the fridge. I'll grab it and the other thing and be right back."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Time felt like it had ground to a near stop as Maria's gaze kept up a constant back and forth between the clock and Michael. He was doing his best to wear a trench in the floor, his eyes constantly straying back to the spot Kyle had disappeared from. If five minutes was this agonizing she could only imagine what seventeen and a half minutes had been like for the others. She watched Michael take another turn. It must've been even worse for him.

"How long does it take to get the sheriff and come back?" Isabel muttered as she began to pace, her path and Michael's crossing but amazingly enough never conflicting.

"I'm guessing the two of them have done this before," Liz said as she watched them.

Max snorted softly. "Yeah."

"It shouldn't be takin' this long," Michael growled. "It's a simple in an' out mission."

"Unless the sheriff wasn't home," Liz pointed out. "We're two hours ahead of them up here. He could've been at work, out for dinner, or… you know, out doing something else."

Michael and Isabel reached their respective corners and turned to make another pass but before they had taken more than a few steps Kyle and Jim appeared in the center of the room.

Kyle heard the sharp call of Isabel's voice as he felt himself phase back in at their cabin and he grinned as he was able to control the feeling of vertigo this time. "Honey, I'm home," he responded.

Isabel was so relieved to see them that she let the comment pass unchallenged. She watched him as he turned to check on his dad, noting the way the older Valenti was doing his best to maintain his balance.

"Dad, you alright?"

"I'm good, Son," he insisted, his voice holding just the slightest tremble. He shook his head and then wished he hadn't made that move. "That's a heck of a way to travel."

_Uh-huh,_ Michael thought as he watched the sheriff trying to get his bearings. He was a strong man, but he could see that crossing more than a thousand miles in the blink of an eye was a little more than he'd been prepared for.

He felt Kyle's steadying hand on his arm and he pulled in a couple of deep breaths as he glanced around at the kids he hadn't seen in six months. "I'm a little wobbly on my feet but I come bearing gifts." He looked down at the tin he'd grabbed from the freezer. "I uh, I have no idea what's in it, but I know your mom made it for the holidays, Maria."

"Let me take that for you, Sheriff," Isabel offered as she stepped forward, breaking the silence that seemed to have taken hold of everyone else. She relieved him of the tin and motioned to the furniture. "Would you like to have a seat?"

Kyle was so busy watching his dad for any signs that the 'flight' had adversely affected him that he wasn't paying attention when he pulled his hand free to reach up and adjust his hat. Before he could shout a warning he realized that his dad was still there and that apparently he was staying there with no problem. He looked down at his hand and then back up at his dad, wondering if it would last or if it was a temporary thing.

Jim cleared his throat as his hat settled into the right position and he tipped it back just a tad as he took a moment to really look at the kids. "You're certainly conserving space, aren't you?" he asked with a smile. In spite of the coat he wore he felt a slight shiver race down his spine and his gaze moved around the interior of what he determined to be a cabin. _A small cabin,_ he reiterated silently. It wasn't warm enough but he knew they were already aware of that fact. He studied each of them in turn for a few minutes, barely aware of Isabel maneuvering him over to a chair so he could sit down.

He bit back the protest when he became aware of her actions, easily reading the nervousness in her that was just looking for an outlet. It was obvious his son was also aware of it because after a moment or two of her fussing over making him comfortable, Kyle called her and asked about coffee. It provided a brief respite and in the matter of minutes it took her to make a pot of coffee he took in the kids' appearances.

They were thinner, all of them. Even with the layers of clothing they wore it was evident to him. Their faces told the story of a life being lived on the run. It was there in the wary expression in their eyes that they couldn't quite suppress, it was there in their postures that just couldn't quite fully relax, and it was there in the weary acceptance that surrounded them. It hurt to see such weight on their young shoulders and know that no matter what the future held they would always carry this with them.

He was pulled out of his thoughts when Max took a step forward and his eyes were drawn to the hand that rested on Liz's shoulder. His gaze dropped to find her left hand, seeking the mate to the ring that resided on the third finger of Max's hand. _They were too young and too old at the same time,_ he thought, still not surprised to know that the two of them had wed.

"Thanks for coming to meet us, Sheriff," Max said and that was as far as he got before Isabel came rushing back into the room. _Apparently she had decided the man had been given enough time to recover from his trip,_ he thought with a mental eye roll.

"Kyle said there's a plan in place for you and our parents to leave Roswell." She stared at the sheriff as she waited for confirmation and without consciously doing so she began to twist her wedding rings.

"Are they safe?" Maria jumped in. "I know I just saw Mom but, are they all safe?"

Jim was suddenly reminded just how much of a challenge it was to keep up with a conversation when multiple women were involved. Somehow age never seemed to be a factor. "We've started to implement our plan."

Michael reached for Maria and pulled her closer, feeling the relieved breath she released in response to the sheriff's answer.

"What's the plan, Sheriff?" Liz asked, her arm tightening around her husband's waist.

"The plan is for us to take our lives back." He glanced between Isabel and Max. "It's the plan your father began to put together the night you had to leave and we all have a heavy stake in it because all of our children's lives are being threatened." He paused to swallow with difficulty as he took in their world-weary appearances once more. "When Liz's journal came and we all had a chance to read it we knew it was even more urgent that the plan become a reality."

"And that's where you are with the plan now?" Michael asked. "Making it a reality?"

Jim nodded. "The plan is to leave separately and to live in plain sight; to do that we knew we'd have to leave the country legally. It's taken time to nail down everything we needed so we could do that and also help you out if we had the opportunity to make contact with you again." None of them had known if they would ever have that chance and just saying the words caused his throat to thicken. He rubbed the back of his neck in an effort to keep his emotions in check.

Michael released Maria and started to move around the confined space, vaguely aware of the others moving to give him room to prowl. "Let me guess: we're goin' to Canada."

"That's the plan, yes. We thought it'd be the safest and most realistic option." He reached into his coat and pulled out a large envelope. "Obtaining safe passage across the border was much easier than trying to get you out of the country by air or water." He glanced down at the envelope as he stood. "We were able to set it up so that you'd have a safe place that'll get you off the road." He took a couple of steps forward and held it out to Max. "You'll find what you need to cross the border legally."

Michael leaned up against the kitchen counter, arms crossed over his chest as he mulled over the sheriff's words. "You don't know where we're goin'," he said after a moment.

"No, it's easy enough to slip up so it was agreed that none of us would know where the others were gonna be in case any of us were…" He shifted his weight from one foot to the other but before he could continue Liz finished the sentence for him.

"Kidnapped before you could leave," she said quietly.

Maria frowned. "Wait, if none of you knows where you're going or where our safe place is, then who set the plan up?"

The sheriff's gaze locked on Michael even though Maria was the one who had voiced the question. "We pooled our resources to make this happen. Philip and I both have contacts that either work in the government or are influential in areas that could be helpful. I've been working with Agent Duff through back channels since you left."

Michael straightened up, his hands clenching around the edge of the counter behind him, and his eyes narrowing at the thought of anyone in the FBI or the government being involved in setting up the plan. "How do we know they're not just setting all of us up with this plan?"

"I trust Agent Duff, Michael. We all know what's at stake if we trust the wrong person and we've been very careful to that end. None of us would ever do anything to jeopardize your safety or your wellbeing."

He nodded after giving that some thought. The sheriff had never trusted blindly and he knew how seriously he took his job as a protector.

"I knew if she had any information about your whereabouts then maybe we could anticipate where you'd end up. Instead the only report she managed to see was one detailing your narrow escape from the Special Unit in Oregon." He held his hands up when he saw the worried glances being exchanged. "If anything had happened to any of you I would've told your parents, but when she told me that you'd all escaped without being injured I decided it was best not to put that burden on them." He ran a hand over his face and shook his head. "She hasn't heard anything since and I took that as a good sign."

"I'm glad you didn't tell them," Liz murmured.

Jim shook his head. "They deserve the truth and one day I hope you're able to somehow let them know what happened and that you're safe." He cleared his throat and he watched his son as he reached over to rub Isabel's arm in a gesture of comfort. "Agent Duff was able to handle the paperwork for the van you left in that night so that everything was legitimate."

"Well, that could throw a monkey wrench in the works," Kyle said. "The engine tanked a week or so back, that's how we ended up here. We managed to replace the van but there's no title and we're using the same plates."

"Can you get me the VIN number before our return flight? I should be able to get that fixed by Monday."

"Good, because we're leaving before daybreak tomorrow," Michael said.

"Um, Michael?" Maria tugged on his sleeve to get his attention. "Tomorrow's Sunday."

He leveled a look at her, one that simply said: And your point is?

"Um, Sheriff, you said the plan to leave is ready to be put into action," Liz said and her fingers clenched in Max's coat. "How will that work and when will you leave?"

Max's heart clenched in his chest at the underlying pain he could hear in his wife's voice as she asked about their parents' plan for leaving Roswell for good. As much as he wanted to believe that one day they'd be able to safely return he knew the likelihood of that was slim. But having their parents there, knowing they were there in the homes they'd grown up in, and waiting for them to return had helped him to hold on to that hope.

Jim took in their anxious expressions before answering her question. "The plan's for us to leave at different times to avoid drawing unwanted attention to ourselves." He nodded at the envelope Max was crushing in his tightly fisted hand. "Each of us has one of those for when it's time to leave. We figure if we split up we increase our chances of avoiding surveillance and successfully reaching our destinations."

"You said destinations," Isabel whispered hoarsely. "You're not going to the same place are you?"

He rubbed a hand over his face, suddenly feeling a lot older than he was. "The safest way for us to avoid detection is for all of us to head in a different direction and for none of us to know each other's destination. We won't even know our own destinations until we're on the road. I know it's not what you wanted to hear, and it's not what I wanted to be the one to tell you, but it's what's best for everyone."

"Wait, what about my mom?" Maria asked, moving forward to stand in front of him. "Is she gonna be leaving all alone and heading off to God only knows where?"

Michael came up behind her, his arms coming around her to pull her back against him. He had a feeling Amy wouldn't be leaving Roswell alone. She might be the epitome of the independent woman, but she wasn't a fool. And Jim Valenti wouldn't stand back while she was put in that kind of danger. He would have made provisions to ensure she wasn't alone.

"Maria, your mom and I discussed that very thing and we agreed that traveling alone presented too much of a risk," Jim assured her. "She has a convention coming up, one that's out-of-state and will require nearly a weeks' time just for traveling, setup, and participation. We'll be leaving in a day or two and it'll be our cover story." He smiled and reached out to rest his hand on her arm. "This's been in the works for a while now, it's not a last-minute cover; I put in for the time off from work a while back and Hanson's under the impression that I'll be back after the first of the year."

"What about Liz's parents?" Max asked, feeling the tension in his wife's body.

The smile faded. "They left the other day, not long before Maria and Kyle showed up at home."

_They were gone,_ Liz thought as the news hit her like a ton of bricks. _They were gone and would probably never be able to return to the home they'd spent a lifetime making._ She wondered if Kyle would be able to reach them since they had no way of knowing where they were. No way of knowing if they were alright or if they were still… She squeezed her eyes shut and inhaled deeply, drawing strength from Max's embrace. _Don't go there, Liz,_ she ordered herself.

"What about the Crashdown?" she wondered aloud.

"Open and running as usual," Jim answered. "Anyone who needed to know about their plans for the next couple of weeks believes they're getting away until the holidays are over. They sold the café to a silent partner with the understanding that it would remain open and operating as usual. It was very important to them that it stay that way."

"What about Mr. and Mrs. Evans?" Kyle asked as his hand slipped down to take Isabel's. She was so tense there were fine tremors running through her and he knew it was taking everything she had to hold it together.

Jim flexed his hands before shoving them in his pockets, his gaze moving between brother and sister. "Philip thought it'd be best for he and Diane wait until the rest of us had left before they made their move." He watched the way the two of them exchanged quick glances. "Your dad's worked with his contacts to make sure there were countermeasures in place in the event anything prevented one or more of us from leaving as planned."

Max caught the look of relief that swept across his sister's features, momentarily easing the tension there. He wondered if she was even conscious of how easily she accepted the comfort that Kyle offered without reservation. She moved away from the rest of them, going to the window and staring out into the darkness beyond. He watched her as she reached for her left hand, worrying the rings resting there. _Jesse,_ he thought as realization dawned. Even though she had remained silent he could hear the unasked question that she wouldn't or couldn't ask. Was she afraid of the answer? Afraid that he was still in Roswell or more afraid that he'd finally given up and had moved on? He felt for his sister. She was in a position he didn't envy.

Liz drew in a shaky breath, releasing it along with the words weighing on her mind. "So, I guess this's really goodbye."

Jim looked each of them in the eye before responding to her statement. "No, I won't accept that. I have to believe that one day we'll be safe enough to meet again." He shook his head and inhaled slowly as he checked his watch, wanting to stay but knowing he needed to get back. He looked between Michael and Max, seeing the bond between them was strengthening. "I want you to remember what I said about that envelope," he said, needing to get that point across. "And while I know my place is clean of listening devices I can't be sure I'm not being watched, so as much as I'd rather spend more time here with you, I'd best be getting back home."

Kyle nodded and he reluctantly reached for his dad's hand. He focused on his breathing, drawing on every bit of meditation he'd studied in order to keep his emotions from running him over.

"You… all of you," Jim said, his voice gruff, "your parents and I are so very proud of all of you." He swallowed past the lump in his throat. "I know what they'd give to be standin' in my shoes right now and I know how far they'd go to keep you safe." He smiled tightly. "There are no boundaries, no walls, and no limits to the love a parents has for his or her child." He looked at Max and then Isabel, nodding slightly when he saw the emotions welling up in her eyes. "I don't know when and I don't know how, but someday, we'll see each other again. Until that day comes you do what's necessary and know that your parents and I love you without condition." He glanced down at his son's hand, wrapped so securely around his, and he squeezed it tightly. His eyes were damp as he straightened. "Godspeed until we meet again." He turned his head to look at his son, drinking in the sight of the man he'd become. "It's time."

As the men disappeared from sight the girls followed suit; beating a path to the bathroom and slamming the door behind them. Max stood there with his mouth hanging open. His intention had been to comfort his wife, knowing she would be upset after the meeting with the sheriff but apparently it was unnecessary at the moment.

"Who knows," Michael muttered in response to the dumbfounded look on his friend's face.

"What now?" He nodded at the envelope clenched in his hand.

"I think we should do what the sheriff advised. Keep it in a safe place and don't open it up until we leave in the mornin'. That way if anything should happen, the majority of the group will be headed someplace safe."

"Do you think they were really able to secure someplace safe?"

"They wouldn't run the risk of sending us into somethin' that hadn't been well thought out. I say we hide it and wait."

"Good enough for me," Max agreed.

Michael crossed his arms over his chest and watched Max as he began to move around the room. "Somethin' else on your mind?" he asked, not missing the furtive glances the other man kept shooting towards the bathroom.

"I know being separated is a risk, but when we get to wherever this safe place is, Liz needs to be able to see her parents again, Michael, even if that means askin' Kyle to take her to see them. I don't know how all the logistics would work out, but if that's what I've gotta do to make it happen, that's what I'm gonna do."

His back teeth were grinding together in an effort to keep his mouth shut and prevent his initial reaction from being verbalized. After a moment he uncrossed his arms and lowered them to a less defensive posture and pulled himself up straight. He studied Max's demeanor, buying time to mull over the reasoning behind the statement. He glanced back at the direction the girls had taken and nodded. Maria had seen her mom and if nothing else, it had given her the hope that maybe one day in the future they would see each other again. Liz hadn't been given that and in Max's shoes he'd probably be considering the same thing. Maybe. "We'll figure it out."

There was nothing to figure out as far as Max was concerned but he nodded anyway. He knew the way Michael's mind worked, knew he was weighing the pros and cons of such an action, but the separation and uncertainty was putting a strain on Liz and he needed to find a way to ease that. Kyle and his newfound powers was the only solution he had at the moment. Michael was being supportive and he could appreciate the restraint he had shown by not just outright insisting it was too dangerous and refusing to even consider it. "Yeah, thanks."

The bathroom door opened, drawing their attention as the girls emerged in similar states of barely disguised distress. Liz was smoothing down her hair, her freshly washed face making her appear less stressed than when she had sought sanctuary in the tiny room. Her eyes didn't quite meet his as she approached him, a dead giveaway that her emotions hadn't quite caught up with her appearance. Maria didn't seem too concerned about hiding her feelings as she made her way over to Michael and slid into his embrace with practiced ease. His sister gave him a smile, but it was one of those phony smiles she pasted on when she wanted the world to think she was fine when she was falling apart inside. And he knew better than to question her about it in front of anyone else.

His focus quickly shifted when Liz slid her hand into his, her fingers slipping through his and locking tightly. She looked up at him, her soft eyes shimmering, and a quiet sniffle escaping as she spoke in a near whisper.

"Can we go back to our cabin now?"

Maria nodded in agreement, taking comfort from the weight of Michael's arm over her shoulders. "That's a good idea."

"We'll go as soon as Valenti gets back," Michael promised. "We're – "

"Kyle!" Isabel called as he rematerialized in the center of the room.

"How many people do you know who can just zip in an' outta places?" he joked. _He must be adjusting,_ he thought, _because he wasn't getting hit with the nausea like he had that first time._

"You're alright?"

He grinned and held his arms out at his sides. "All in one piece, but I wouldn't say no to a hot shower and a long night of sleep." He bit back a yawn and looked at Michael. "Speakin' of which… what time are you wantin' to hit the bricks in the mornin'?"

It was really time to leave. The girls exchanged a look that didn't go unnoticed by the guys but remained unspoken.

"We should be over at Max and Liz's cabin by six at the absolute latest. That gives us time to pack everything in and be on the road before daylight."

"Okay, fine, time's set," Isabel said and began gathering up coats and scarves. "Time for everyone to go now." She shoved the winter gear into hands, unmindful and uncaring who got what. "We all need to get some rest and it's getting late."

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Kyle sighed tiredly as he flopped down on the loveseat, propping his feet up on the coffee table but keeping the soles of his boots hanging off one corner. He could smell Dad's cologne clinging to his clothes, could almost feel the bone-crushing hug they'd exchanged before he left his dad at home. Alone. Oh, he knew Jim Valenti could take care of himself with or without the designation as Roswell's sheriff, but there was safety in numbers, and their numbers were steadily dwindling.

Liz's parents had already left Roswell. Dad and Ms. Deluca would be leaving in the next few days, and the Evans' wouldn't be far behind them. All fleeing their homes and going on the run, heading in different directions, and who knew if any of them would ever see each other again? They were on the run too, but at least they had each other. Not to mention three of them were armed and dangerous and two of them were… well, he wasn't sure how dangerous he was but he could recall with vivid clarity the way Liz had flung Tess across the room the night the fourth alien had reappeared.

_And now it was time for some redirection,_ he thought as he forced himself to his feet and over to the kitchen. No way was he getting caught up in those memories again. His mind was too tired to fight them back and it would send him someplace he really didn't wanna go when he finally fell asleep. He could hear the shower running and he wondered how long he'd been sitting there. He turned his head to find the time and winced when he felt the painful stiffness in his neck.

He glanced over the small pile of dishes and decided he'd go ahead and wash them since Isabel had made dinner. It was the least he could do after that meal she had whipped up. And it would keep him busy until he could take his turn in the shower and hopefully work some of the knots out of his neck. He was halfway through the dishes and squeezing more soap onto the sponge by the time she had succeeded in draining every bit of hot water from the water heater. He glanced at her as she padded out of her room and he couldn't help but smile at her casual, relaxed appearance.

Isabel paused by the hot water tank near the kitchen and pressed her palm against it for a few moments, ensuring Kyle's shower would be a nice hot one. She watched him for a moment before moving around him to lean against the counter on his other side. "I think your day's been long enough without getting stuck with the dishes," she said.

He shrugged one shoulder. "S'alright, I don't mind," he said, shooting a tired grin at her.

"Shower's all yours, go make use of it."

He shook his head. His body might not be thrilled about doing dishes but it kept him focused on a mundane task rather than letting it wander into dangerous territory.

She knew what he was doing and she understood. She also knew he was bone tired and needed to relax his muscles before he crashed. His mind wouldn't take him anyplace he didn't want to go tonight, she'd see to that. She reached over and placed her hand on his shoulder, not surprised when she felt the tension coiled so tightly in him. "Go, Kyle. Take a hot shower and then stretch out in your bed. Enjoy it because who knows when we're gonna get the chance to have this much space to ourselves again." She smiled when he finally looked up and met her gaze. "It'll be a peaceful night," she promised.

Kyle nodded after a few minutes. He knew what her promise meant and he accepted the offer gratefully.

Minutes later the only sound in the cabin was the steady fall of the water in the shower and Isabel looked around at the mess he had left in the sink. Why did guys always think if you squeezed half of the dishwashing liquid into the sponge it meant the dishes would be magically cleaner? She shook her head and started to reach into the bubbling mess before changing her mind.

_What were secret powers for if a girl couldn't use them at a time like this?_

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The sound of the buzzer on the dryer going off would've been annoying in the past, but now it symbolized permanence and home. Liz could feel the warmth coming from the machine as she reached for the handle to pull the door open, marveling at the simple luxury of pulling her favorite PJs out right after a long hot shower. It was comforting to wrap up in one of the few things she'd taken from home just before leaving Roswell.

She thought about Mom and as she pulled the warm PJs on she could almost imagine the feel of her mom's embrace. She mused over the distance between them, not so much miles but emotional distance. Her mom had been quiet and reserved in many ways and she had used that to keep her from getting too close, especially after she had started dating Max. She had been teetering on the precipice of something she hadn't fully understood at the time. Standing at the edge of childhood and peering into the unknown mysteries of womanhood. Looking back now she could appreciate her mom's attempts to reach her, to hold onto her, but she had wanted so badly to break free of everything she knew and grab onto something she wanted so badly.

She could see that moment in her bedroom so clearly. Her frustration at what she had felt was her mom smothering her, trying to hold on too tightly had burst free of her as an angry tirade. And she hadn't understood the confusion that was rioting through her physically and emotionally. She had felt like a mass of contradictions pitted against each other in an unending internal battle. She had been so sure that her mom couldn't possibly understand that she had pushed her away, created distance, and it was only now when that distance might as well have been light years that she could appreciate that effort.

She closed her eyes and she could almost feel the emotions seething inside of her as she faced off against her mother that night she had snuck back into the house and gotten caught. She hadn't been able to see it at the time, but who would understand better than someone who had already been there? _But,_ she supposed, _that was something all mothers and daughters went through._ Her thoughts shifted forward to another conversation between them, not long after the confrontation.

"_Don't ever leave this house. Don't stop being my baby girl."_

She wrapped her arms around herself, feeling the warmth from the heated material seep into her skin. Her fingertips rubbed over the soft sleeves and she forced the tears back. _I'll always be your baby girl,_ she thought resolutely. She inhaled deeply and released it slowly, feeling her muscles relax with the motion. Calmer, she made her way out of the bathroom, pausing long enough to hit the light switch.

She took the few steps through their darkened bedroom and into the living room where Max was sitting on the couch, ready for bed. She stood still for a moment, just watching him. His upper body hunched over, right elbow on his knee, chin balanced on his fisted hand, and his expression one of concentration. It was the pose she'd come to associate with the statue 'The Thinker'. He was unaware of his emulation of the statue and no one else had ever made a comment to bring it to his attention, though she wasn't sure how anyone could miss it. But until they did, she would just enjoy keeping it to herself.

He was staring at the envelope the sheriff had given him and as she watched he suddenly relaxed and reached for it. She could tell he was unaware of her presence, his focus solely on the envelope. She always knew when he became aware of her, there were telltale signs and he was exhibiting none of them at the moment.

"Something on your mind, Mr. Evans?" she asked with a small smile.

He reached for her without looking up, his hand unerringly latching onto hers and pulling her down to sit beside him. He dropped the envelope on the coffee table and stretched before dropping back to settle into the cushions. He was quiet for a moment before he turned his head to look at her. "I was thinkin' about my dad, wishing I could tell him how proud I am that he's my dad." He dropped his gaze. "And that I could tell my mom how much I miss being home." He swallowed hard. "How much I miss both of them."

She squeezed his hand, letting him share what he was comfortable with. She watched him as he leaned forward to stare at the envelope once more.

"I was about to hide it and," his fingertips ghosted over the surface, "I thought maybe…"

"You'd get a flash," she said, remembering him telling her that when things were intense sometimes they'd get flashes. "But you didn't."

He sighed and shook his head. "No."

"Maybe that's a good thing, Max. You have no control over the flashes and for all we know you might see something about what's in that envelope." She nudged him. "Put it away for tonight. It'll work itself out when the time's right."

"Liz, when the time's right I want you to see your…" He was silenced when she placed a finger against his lips and shook her head. He wanted her to know he would do everything in his power to make sure she saw her parents again, but he could see in her eyes that she knew and believed it.

"I'm here because I love you. My choice, Max, and like I said last night, never forget that."

He reached for her, cradling her face in his hands and moving in for a kiss that quickly had both of them forgetting their regrets. With a wave of his hand over the envelope he used a trick Isabel had taught him and within moments it had become part of the table. His hand free again he gathered his wife up in his arms and got to his feet to carry her to bed.

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Maria tugged on the collar of Michael's thermal shirt that she had put on after the long bath she had taken to help calm her after their meeting with the sheriff. She inhaled deeply, taking in his scent along with the smoky smell from the fireplace that seemed to cling to everything. She checked her reflection in the mirror as her hands smoothed over the shirt and she caught sight of the yellow ducky shower curtain behind her. It made her think of the day they had purchased it at Dave's Hardware that day they'd gone in for supplies not long after breaking down and the memory brought a smile to her face.

She turned the light out and left the bathroom, stepping into the larger room and immediately smelled the fresh aroma of dry coffee grounds. Her gaze moved over the counter, pausing on the Winnie the Pooh and Tigger mugs where they stood like sentries next to the coffee maker that was set and ready to brew when morning came. She turned her head slightly, unable to stop the tired smile when she saw the kitchen chair that had been singled out and assigned its usual guard duty for the night. She wondered absently if the chair would have a permanent notch at its top where it had been wedged up under the doorknob for so many nights now.

Her train of thought was sidetracked by the sound of a loud horn blaring on the TV and it took her a moment to determine that it served to announce a score by one of the teams playing. Her eyes shifted to Michael and she noted that he hadn't even reacted to the sound, something that should've had his attention whether it was the team he was rooting for or not. He was slouched down in the overstuffed chair that he had claimed during their stay, leaning to one side with his weight braced on his elbow. Watching the game or not, as soon as the commercials started he began to channel surf.

She made her way over to him with just a few strides, noticing that he had managed to make his way around the 10-channel dial at least twice already. When she reached his chair she leaned over to wrap her arms around his neck and released a tired sigh. "Think I'm gonna go to bed," she murmured. "I'm beat."

He lifted one hand, resting it on her crossed arms for a moment before giving them a squeeze that was accompanied by a nod.

She kissed his cheek and retraced her steps, diverting from her previous path to make her way over to the bed. As much as she wanted to push the thoughts away she couldn't stop the realization that tonight would be the last time she and Michael shared the comfortable old bed. As she climbed into bed and snuggled down on her side she became aware of the lack of sound coming from the living area.

She closed her eyes and listened, taking in the sounds that had become familiar so quickly. His sure movements as he banked the fire, his footsteps, surprisingly almost silent for a man his size, the quiet jingle of an assortment of loose change as he emptied his pockets out onto the nightstand, the raspy slither of his wallet chain as it was added to the pile, and finally the rustling sound of him getting undressed. Although their impending departure the next day was heavy on their minds they were closer than they had been as a couple in a long time.

The mattress dipped as he slipped into bed, his long arm settling over her waist and pulling her into his body. She closed her eyes and sighed in contentment, taking comfort from the moment and letting everything else slip away. Morning would come soon enough and then there would be no choice but to face what was coming, but for now… for now they would simply… be.

For a moment her mind wandered to Liz and Isabel. It had been a difficult evening for all of them, but she knew they would be finding their own comfort that night so she let those thoughts float away as well. She smiled as she thought about Michael playing Santa, especially those precious moments when he'd had Maggie and Michelle on his lap. Her heart filled as she recalled that one amazing moment when he had been so in his element. She reached for his hand where it rested at her waist, sliding her fingers through his. "How long before we need to be up?"

He buried his face in her hair for a moment before shifting around so that his chin could find that perfect spot on her shoulder. "Six hours, give or take a few minutes." He didn't want to take her from this place that had become a home in such a short time, didn't want to take her away from the people she had quickly come to care about, but he didn't have the words to express himself. No matter how much time passed, he just wasn't very good at the touchy-feely stuff. "Maria, if things were different…"

She sighed and nodded, hearing the regret in his voice and the things he couldn't seem to verbalize, and she turned in his arms to face him. Her arms wrapped around his neck, urging his head to drop so she could place her lips on his. "I love you, Michael," she said quietly.

He rolled her onto her back and settled over her. "Maria, look at me."

Her eyes locked on his and for just a moment she saw herself in her Snowflake outfit and she could feel the way he felt as he watched her. It was a fleeting moment, but filled with his feelings for her. She tried to hold back the tears that had formed without her knowledge or permission, but against her will a few of them escaped. She reached for him, her hand tangling in his hair and as she opened her mouth to say his name, he captured her lips and took what he was now certain was his.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_There was a bite to the night air as Kyle leaned against the side of his car waiting for Isabel to return with what could possibly be the next clue in their search for Enigma. Even though he clearly remembered the sequence of events he was well aware they had been altered because in reality he had been knocked out of the running by some guy with a smart mouth. He paid little attention to the altered scenes as he stepped back from the dream and let his mind wander back to that night as it had happened._

_He chuckled as he recalled Isabel telling him that she was sure the girls had liked him. He was still sure that had been her reassuring him because as soon as that Neanderthal had come along the girls had taken off with him. She had sensed the sarcasm in his voice when he had responded and he smiled as that moment materialized in front of him and he watched the scene play out._

"_Is this a confidence issue? Because women can detect insecurity a mile away, Kyle."_

"_Do you detect it?"_

_He couldn't help but laugh at the thoughtful look that shifted to slight disgust as she responded._

"_No. I'm married. My radar's been dismantled."_

_They had gone back and forth for a few minutes before she had suddenly decided it was time to go. She had said they were going to find him a social life and then given his snack a disdainful look._

"_Drop the jerky."_

_He had dropped it without a second thought and they had been off to a college party. He could feel the too-warm air in the room as they sat on a couch looking around while Isabel pointed out different girls for him. There was definitely a visual buffet of women for him to feast his eyes on but really there was only one girl he was interested in._

_He glanced around, making sure he was alone as he observed the dream and rather than sit there and talk to Bitsy he followed Isabel as she went to get drinks. He shivered when the temperature suddenly dropped and he glanced around at the partygoers. He didn't remember that happening but he blew it off until a chill moved through his body and he realized how cold it really was._

The cabin was dark, which was to be expected since he knew it was late, but he blinked owlishly as he looked around. He had gotten used to it being cool in the cabin at night, but as a rule the pile of blankets was sufficient enough to keep the worst of it out. He rolled over to look at the doorway when he thought he heard the sound of a door shutting and he rubbed his eyes when he saw a shadow cross through the patch of moonlight that lay across the floor.

He tried to focus but he lost sight of the shadow and after a moment he sighed and forced himself to sit up. He rolled out of bed, biting his tongue to hold in the sharp hiss when his feet made contact with the ice cold floor. He rubbed his arms as he crept to the doorway, squinting to see what was creating the shadow

He grimaced when the cold air swept across his bare feet before hitting him with a full frontal assault. He moved around the cabin quietly, searching for anything out of place, but finally gave up when he decided that nothing was stirring.

_Not even the proverbial mouse,_ he thought as he quietly padded back to his room and slipped back into bed. He burrowed under the covers and snuggled into the pillow, rubbing his head against it as he searched for that perfect spot and sighing happily when he found it. The last thing he heard was the sound of the wind blowing and the branches gently scraping against the window.

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Liz carefully eased out from under her husband's arm, wiggling across the mattress and slipping out of bed. She stood and grabbed his shirt, pulling it on and wrapping it around her as she crept from their room. She moved to stand at one of the windows, moving the curtain aside to peer out into the sky. She sighed as she took in the sky, unable to tell if it was the normal grayish-white that seemed to be so normal here or if it was cloudy and overcast.

She missed the black velvet of the late night sky, missed the millions of tiny pinpoints of light that danced across that dark canvas. In the desert they had seemed so close it had almost felt like she could reach up and pick them from the sky if she had wanted to. Even if she could see the stars she knew they wouldn't be the same. There was just something about viewing them from the desert; being surrounded by the arid air and the nighttime chorus of nocturnal insects and birds. She sighed and moved away from the window and before long she found herself holding the cabin journal.

How many nights had she spent on her rooftop balcony making entries in her own journal? She could still feel the itch in her fingers to pick up a pen and put her thoughts onto paper, the words coming together to create an equation her mind could organize and make sense of. She missed the freedom of putting her thoughts down, missed the naivety that had accompanied the belief that her words were sacred and for her eyes alone.

She smiled tightly as she remembered the day she had realized her journal had disappeared. The day she had realized that just because they were her words, thoughts, and feelings, they weren't protected and they weren't safe simply because they existed between the covers of her journal. The suspect list had included Alex, her mom, and even Kyle at one point. She rolled her eyes at the memory of breaking into Sheriff Valenti's home so she and Max could search for the journal.

And all along it had been safe in the hands of the one person she never would've suspected. To this day it amazed her that Michael hadn't simply destroyed it, and given his feelings about her knowing the truth at that time, she still didn't really understand why he hadn't. Yeah, he had commented that anyone reading it would know about her and left it at that, but the truth was, had anyone ever gotten their hands on that journal they would've known the truth. It just would've been told through her eyes.

He had made her so nervous, the way he so calmly spoke and moved, things so un-Michael-like, especially at that time. She could remember the surreal quality of that moment when he had revealed his part in the disappearance of her journal. And then he had done something else she would've never expected. He had returned the journal undamaged and called her a friend. She smiled at the memory. She had been true to her word; she had never revealed him as the culprit and she wondered what it was she had said, what he had read in her words that had given him one more reason to be jealous of Max.

She put the cabin journal back in its place on the mantel and gave it a fond pat before turning and looking around the dimly lit room. She would love to stay here a while longer, have more time for her and Max to enjoy being a newlywed couple, but she knew the time had come for them to move on. They didn't know what the future held but they were finally at the place where they were really facing it together.

She made her way back to the bedroom and watched him sleeping for several long minutes before she slipped out of his shirt and eased back under the covers and into his arms. It didn't matter if their future was Moose Jaw or Mars; what mattered was that they were together and even with an uncertain future that was everything.

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Maria awoke to darkness, but after a moment her eyes adjusted and she began to make out shapes. It wasn't as dark as she had first thought, but she had become accustomed to the gray light that filtered in on the cold, wintry nights. It was just those first few moments after waking that made it seem darker than it really was. Her sleepy gaze locked on Michael where he stood in front of the window that faced the big lake.

"Michael? What're you doin' up?" She got up and quickly made her way over to him. "You should be in bed, you need your rest." She stopped in front of him and immediately saw what had captured his attention.

"It's snowing," he said and pointed unnecessarily.

"Well, maybe it's just a few inches." She craned her neck around to locate the alarm clock and internally groaned at the time: 4:45am. She sighed when he pulled away from her and went to turn the TV on to check the weather. She shook her head and let him be. There would be no talking him back to bed until he had checked the weather, she thought as she crawled back under the covers and snuggled down.

"Son of a bitch!"

She had just found that one perfect spot when he snarled at the report and his loud epithet had her bolting upright. "What is it?" Her little voice chimed in at that moment. _Do you really wanna know?_

"Blizzard warnings," he bit out. "The airports are closed along with the Interstates. I-75's a two-track right now with 12 inches on the ground and more on the way."

She rolled her eyes. _I-75's a two-track,_ she recited silently. _What did that even mean? It means he's been watching the weather up north too long._

"I can't believe this," he ranted, paying no attention to her when she climbed out of bed with a long-suffering sigh. "How could Isabel do this?!"

"We don't know she did this," Maria said as she pried the remote out of his hand and turned the television off. "The earlier reports did say we could get 5-8 inches." She shrugged and turned him, giving him a nudge back towards the bed. "Even if it was Isabel, then look at it this way: she's leveling the playing field. I mean, think about it, Guerin. If we can't move, neither can they." She finally maneuvered him into bed and under the covers. She kissed him gently and fussed with the covers, making sure the cold would stay out. He wasn't happy but she could feel him calming.

She continued to talk, her voice soothing as his breathing began to change and he finally drifted off to sleep again. Her gaze left his relaxed features to settle on the window, her vision blurring and obscuring the falling snow as she thought back to earlier that night. She recalled Liz and Isabel's raw silent pain after learning about the plan their parents had put into motion, a plan that had included a separation that might well mean they never had the opportunity to see each other again.

Her eyelids began to droop but in her minds' eye she could see the three of them standing in the tiny bathroom trying in vain to make themselves presentable before going back out to join the others. As they had struggled to hold their emotions at bay for each other as well as for their own selves, Isabel had spoken up, the words seeming to give her strength.

"We need a little Christmas."


	58. Chapter 58

**Author's note: **A few short lines in this part were borrowed from Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

**Part 58**

Kyle was pulled from a deep sleep when someone started raising a racket outside. He blinked fuzzily and decided chances were better that it was Michael than Santa making a practice run. _Ungh, he so wasn't ready for El Capitan first thing this morning,_ he thought as he rolled out of bed. He caught sight of Isabel crossing the living area as he stumbled to the doorway of his room. "Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed," he mumbled, taking note of her completely coherent movements when she reached the front door.

She peered through the small peephole before taking a step back and flinging the door open wide, presenting their visitors with one of her most festive smiles. She had met Buckeye and Carl Barry on Friday night at the bowling alley and he knew they'd been around on Saturday too. He just wasn't sure what they were doing there so early in the morning on Christmas Eve. He took a couple of steps forward and peered around the door before taking another look at her. Even though he only had a profile shot of her, he could see the gleam in her eyes when they landed on the Christmas tree being supported between the two men.

Snow clung to the branches where they poked through the mesh wrap that surrounded them, keeping them close to the trunk to protect them from being broken. He could hear Buckeye prattling on about something or other but he wasn't paying much attention because his gaze was focused on the snowdrifts that glistened in the weak sunlight. The ice crystals had formed the thin surface layer made it appear as if it was solid enough to walk across but he knew better. He let his thoughts wander back to Sunday morning and another knock that, while expected, had not necessarily been as welcome.

_He had been enjoying a breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, and hash browns when Michael had pounded his fist against the door hard enough to rattle the windows next to it. He had given their meal a slightly guilty look before shrugging one shoulder and digging in when Isabel told him to eat._

_She had answered the door and quickly stepped out of the way when Michael barged inside, already ranting before the door had even closed behind him and Maria. Of course, before it could close Max and Liz had joined them and he suddenly found himself surrounded by the girls._

"_Ooh, Kyle, sharing is caring," Maria said as she rubbed her hands together._

_He looked back and forth between the two of them and he shook his head at the image of two praying mantis' preparing for a meal. He motioned to the stack of plates on the kitchen counter. "Got plenty of eggs and hash browns but the bacon's a little on the slim side," he mumbled._

"_You're the best," Liz said, giving him a quick hug on her way to the counter._

"_It's true." And no one was listening to him. He turned his head to watch as Isabel listened to Michael go on about being boxed in, his big feet making too much noise as he stomped back and forth in front of her._

"_And it's pretty apparent you were prepared to dig in for the winter," Michael growled with an irritated nod at the food that was in abundant supply._

"_Not the whole winter," she hedged._

"_Enough of it," he snapped. "We were clear to hit the road this mornin' and you ruined it! Are you out of your mind? We can't afford to be trapped here."_

"_You know, the forecast was calling for snow anyway," Maria spoke up as she scooped up a spoonful of the fluffy eggs. She rolled her eyes. Yeah, like any eggs Isabel cooked would dare be less than perfect._

"_I don't think you're helping things," Liz whispered when Michael's glare practically singed her on its way to Maria._

"_Freak snowstorm," Isabel said dismissively._

"_That shit might fly in Roswell, but we're in the snow capital and you just dumped several feet on an area with a ten-mile radius. How do you explain that?"_

"_I didn't like major in weather or anything," Max spoke up, "but it's not like it couldn't happen."_

"_I've got snow up to my ass, Maxwell. We're supposed to be on our way outta here and now we're stuck. There's no getting out in this mess."_

_A quip about frozen nuts entered Kyle's mind but he decided to save it for later._

"_Yeah, and if we can't get out, the FBI can't get in," he pointed out rationally. "Look, Michael, maybe this isn't such a bad idea. It's a couple more days and when we hit the road we're back to facing our reality, and in addition to that, there're the contents of that envelope looming in our near future."_

_Michael wasn't happy about the turn of events but even he could see that for the girls' sake maybe it wasn't the worst idea. Although it was definitely in the top ten as far as he was concerned. He turned his head to pin Isabel with his glare. "Next time, we table any weather modifications."_

"_That's right," Maria said, gently mocking his stern tone, "this plan wasn't on the list of approved lies." She and Liz started giggling and in an effort to redirect his attention she held up a plate of eggs. "Breakfast?"_

_Before he could respond there was a knock on the door and he moved past Isabel, jerking the door open to the Stevens' boys. He was nearly brained by a snow shovel when Brian held it out to him with a big grin. "Dad says it looks like you guys are stuck for a few more days."_

"_Fan-freaking-tastic," he muttered._

Kyle was pulled from his thoughts as the tree landed on the floor with a solid _thud _and he looked down to see the large tree stand supporting it at its base. They had placed it in the only available spot in their tiny living area and for once he found himself grateful for the cabin's miniscule size. His back and arms directed him to send up a prayer of thanks to whoever had designed the tiny living space.

He endured a rousing round of handshaking from Buckeye and for just a moment he was worried that the man was going to walk away with his arm. He wondered if there was anything the guy wasn't enthusiastic about. Mr. Barry's handshake was calmer; solid, but more relaxed. He closed the door behind the men, shutting out the cold, and turning to watch Isabel as she moved around the tree. Or at least as far around as she could get without running into the wall.

"Isn't it a wonderful gift?" she asked as she shot a smile in his direction. She reached out to touch the branches that had been released from the restrictive netting, her fingertips gently brushing over the surprisingly soft needles. She turned to pick up the small box of ornaments and lights that had been gifted to them along with the tree.

He watched her as her attention was pulled away from the tree that hadn't received a single word of critique, chuckling to himself when she poked through the handmade decorations and her nose wrinkled in distaste at some that she found to be tacky. One in particular earned a muttered, "How quaint," and he nodded. _That's my girl,_ he thought with a fond smile.

"I'm sure it'll look great once you've graced it with your special talents."

"My spec… No, Kyle, you can't just wave your hand and decorate a tree like this. It's special, and that means it needs a special touch."

"Well, have at it then."

"But, it's our tree. We have to decorate it together."

"Uh, yeah, see, the thing is, I'm not really into tree decorating. Now if you want me to use it to dry my socks on, I can help you out." He slapped one hand against his stomach. "There you go, just leave one side bare and I'll use it to dry my socks."

"Well, that's just ridiculous. Why would we need to dry socks on the tree? Even if we didn't have the washer and dryer over at the Honeymoon Cabin, I can dry socks with a wave of my hand." She shot a quizzical look at him. Sometimes she wondered which of them was really from another planet.

He didn't really know what to say to that so he just shrugged and gave her his trademark grin. His stomach chose that moment to rumble, ending that conversation and sending them in another direction. One that was much easier to navigate. "Guess I overslept and missed breakfast."

"Well, you've been busy clearing snow for the past two days so I figured you needed the rest. I thought you could have breakfast when you got up." She turned back to the ornaments, picking one up and frowning at the thing. What was it? She turned it this way and that, trying to figure it out when the right angle suddenly revealed it as a bird in a nest. A cardinal maybe. It was hard to tell but the fake feathers – she sincerely hoped they were fake – appeared to be a faded red. "Kyle, you don't think this was a real bird at one time do you?"

"It's quite possible." He'd seen the hideous ornament and recognized it because he could remember his grandma having them on her tree when he was little. The bodies were made of Styrofoam balls and then decorated to look like real birds. "You got the nest and the little bird too," he crowed in an attempt to sound like the Wicked Witch of the West.

"Oh, that is so gross!"

He chuckled when she flung it aside and he started nosing through the cabinets, closing the door when he ran across the bucket of oatmeal. Yes, it stuck to the ribs, and no, he didn't want any. He redirected his efforts in the direction of the refrigerator. "We're gonna be up at the Stevens' tonight, right?"

"Um-hmm," she murmured as she focused her attention on checking the lights and pretending that the bird that may or may not have been alive at one time sat ignored across the room.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Max went to answer the door, bleary-eyed and still half-asleep. He could hear the shower running and the sound of Liz singing along quietly with the radio she had put on the counter in the bathroom. He smiled when he heard her hit a sour note and shook his head as he wrapped his hand around the doorknob and gave it a pull. He was expecting one of his own so he was a little surprised to see two men standing there, but he relaxed when he recognized them.

"Mr. Barry, Buckeye," he greeted, extending his hand.

"Edward's been keepin' you boys busy," the man said, chuckling as he shook his hand.

"Yes, sir." He blinked and focused on the tree held upright between them. "You guys been out chopping down trees?"

Buckeye laughed and gave it a good shake, tipping it so he could get a good hold on it. He shouldered his way past Max and carried the tree inside while Mr. Barry held out the box of ornaments and lights. He listened with half an ear as he was given the instructions for caring for the tree interspersed with bits of Christmas trivia. He rubbed the back of his neck and wondered if this was how Michael felt every time he ended up in a conversation with the guy.

By the time they left he felt like he'd been run over by a train. He put the box of ornaments on the couch and went into the kitchen to throw something together for breakfast. Twenty minutes and a little bit of alien powers later he had two plates of scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast that he was sliding on the table just as his wife vacated the bathroom.

"I thought you'd still be asleep," she said, going into his arms when he reached for her.

"Mornin'," he murmured as he lowered his head to brush a kiss against her lips. He nodded at the tree dominating one corner of the room a moment later. "Got a Christmas tree delivery and thought it'd be rude to tell them to just leave it outside."

"A Christmas tree…" Her eyes widened as she followed the direction of his nod and she inhaled a surprised gasp. "It's beautiful," she whispered as she moved closer to it. She reached out to touch the branches, rubbing them between her fingertips as she leaned in to draw in its fresh scent. "Fraser Fir."

"They brought some decorations too."

"Don't you just love Christmas?"

He watched her as she moved around the tree, touching it, smelling it, and just _feeling_ it. "Let's go skating tonight, Liz," he said suddenly.

"We're helping the Stevens' after the kids go to bed."

"But we can make time can't we?"

She smiled as she thought about last year and finally getting him on the ice. "We'll do our best," she promised. "Now let's get that breakfast before it gets cold."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Maria checked the time as she reached over to turn on the coffee pot. It was just after 10am and Michael was still sound asleep. She knew how little it took to wake him though so she kept her movements slow and quiet in an effort to avoid disturbing him. For the past 48 hours he had been working with the other guys as Edward directed snow removal. Growing up in the desert, it was still a shock to know that snow had to be cleared off of the roofs to avoid cave-ins. Roofs, driveways, steps, porches… they had been working nonstop to clear them and she knew the guys were exhausted.

She was trying so hard to be quiet that when the pounding knock came at the door she nearly jumped out of her skin. Shaking it off, she rushed for the door, hoping to get there and stop the noise before it could wake Michael. But before she could go more than a few steps his sleep-roughened voice interrupted her intentions.

"I'll get it." He moved on autopilot as he got out of bed and pulled his jeans on, all without wasting a single move.

She reached the window and grinned as she peered out through the frosted pane. As Michael was prying their trusty kitchen chair from under the doorknob she leaned over and turned the knob, yanking it open before he could stop her. Before he could utter a single negative word she insinuated herself in front of him and greeted Mr. Barry and Buckeye with a big smile and a cheerful, "Merry Christmas!" Her gaze shifted to the tree that had been carefully wrapped to protect its branches. "Oooh, is that what I think it is?"

Michael pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. _What else could it be? An elephant?_

"Yes, it is," Mr. Barry said, his breath expelling on a frosty cloud that hung in the air for a moment before dissipating. "We're hoping you'll accept this tree as a token of our thanks for all you've done for our little community."

Maria wrapped her arm around Michael's waist, shifting and using him as a windbreak against the cold air that came in uninvited. "Our very own Christmas tree," she murmured. "Isn't that just wonderful, Michael?"

Buckeye didn't bother waiting to hear how wonderful Michael thought it was. He stepped inside with the tree, his eyes on Maria. "This here's a Fraser Fir. They're hearty little trees; just make sure they have plenty to drink and they'll stay happy and warm."

"Warm?" Michael muttered.

"Well," the tow truck driver/Christmas tree farmer/who-knew-what-else said with a teasing grin, "you don't give 'em enough water an' all these needles will fall off. Naked tree's gonna be mighty cold on a winter's night." He situated the tree in front of the window next to the door, oblivious to the look of annoyance being directed at his back. "You'll wanna keep it away from the fireplace of course." He cut the wire from around it and the branches sprang free. "She is a pretty little thing, isn't she? Want me to give 'er a drink before we go?"

"Sure," Maria said, just barely managing to cut Michael off before he could send Buckeye packing.

"You know these little trees are the most popular Christmas tree in North America?" he asked as he retrieved the water pitcher from Mr. Barry and crossed the room to fill it from the kitchen sink. "They grow 'em by the millions down in North Carolina and ship 'em all over the world. Everybody loves these little trees. Yup, it's a fact."

Michael watched every move he made, listening with half an ear as Mr. Barry rattled off his appreciation for all they had done on behalf of the community. He just wanted them to leave, especially Mr. Useless Information. The guy was traipsing all over their cabin, leaving traces of snow from the treads on his boots on the floor. _Their cabin,_ he mused. If only it was true. He could feel his irritation slipping away when his eyes landed on Maria and he saw the happiness on her face as she talked to Mr. Barry. Her features were animated and her eyes kept moving to the tree that she couldn't stop touching.

"We'd best be going," Mr. Barry said. "We have more deliveries to make." He shifted to check on his helper. "Buckeye, you about ready?"

"Good to go, Mr. Barry." He stepped out of the cabin to stand next to the older man as he took his right glove off and extended his hand in Michael's direction.

"Thanks again."

Michael shook his hand. "Glad we could be here. Thank you for the tree, sir." He was just about to close the door as they turned to leave when a thought occurred to him. "Mr. Barry?"

The man turned, his eyebrows lifted in question. "Yes?"

"You said you were makin' more deliveries today."

He nodded. "Got quite a few lined up."

"The other night one of the kids, a little girl named Evelyn, asked for a tree…"

"Don't you worry, Santa, we've got the Finch family covered." He winked. "You did your part; now let the Christmas tree elves do theirs."

Maria hugged Michael as the door closed. "It's our first tree, Michael, I'm so happy." She pointed to the box Mr. Barry had placed on the floor by the door. "Look, they even brought lights and ornaments."

"Let's be happy about the tree later," he murmured as he pulled her into his arms and nuzzled her neck. He stretched his right arm out behind him, blindly fumbling for the chair. His fingers finally curled around it just as his mouth settled over hers and he was dragging it closer when another knock sounded at the door.

Maria couldn't help but laugh at the irritated growl and the disgruntled expression on his face as he pulled back. His knuckles were white, the skin stretched taut across them as he dragged the chair out of the way to jerk the door open. His mouth almost dropped open before he caught himself when he found himself facing Edward, his two boys, Max, and Kyle. They were all carrying hockey equipment and looked like they were ready to hit the ice.

"We've been exiled by the girls," Edward explained. "Apparently they've got some sort of top secret work that needs to be done so I thought we could use a little guy time on the ice."

Michael rolled his shoulders and looked at his friends. "You two wanna play hockey?"

"Hockey's not my game but I figure if you and Evans can spin around on the ice I can't do any worse," Kyle said as he shouldered his way in. "You mind? I'm freezin' my ass off out here."

"Well, we wouldn't want your delicate ass out in the cold, would we?" He smirked as the opening he'd been looking for presented itself. "You can stay here and keep the girls company."

Edward watched them, silently observing the wordless conversation being carried on between the young men in the wake of Michael's statement. It didn't escape his notice that they hadn't been invited inside but it didn't surprise him either. Michael wasn't the type of person who cared for too many people in his space.

Eddie lifted his eyebrows as he shifted in an effort to see around Michael. "So, is Maria ready to get rid of you for a while?" he asked innocently.

"Go," Maria said, waving her hand at her boyfriend, "have some guy time." She was pawing through the box of ornaments, smiling at the clothespins decorated to look like reindeer. "Liz and I might get with Isabel and see about coordinating the cabin decorations." She smirked to herself. "Unless you think you might like to stick around and give us a hand."

Images of ribbons, bows, and his fingertips poked full of holes from stringing popcorn and cranberries nearly made him nauseous. And the memory of sitting in a grade school class while the teacher made them do 'art' that consisted of cutting strips of colored construction paper, rolling them into rings, and then gluing them into a chain of paper garland that would never hang on a tree was something he could do without. "Pass. You can have Kyle," he offered generously and shoved the guy deeper into the cabin. "There you go, Merry Christmas."

"Kyle might like to have a say," the other guy muttered. He held his hands up when Michael turned a glare on him. "Just saying I might like that once in a while. Not today of course. Today apparently I'd prefer to just hang out with the girls and decorate."

Michael ignored him and stepped back, motioning for the others to come inside. "Just gimme a couple minutes and I'll be ready to go." He looked at Max. "You still got that pack of extra shoestrings? I busted one."

_Well, as far as hints went it was better than some he'd come up with,_ Max thought as he nodded and made a show of checking his pockets. He followed Michael across the room and produced a pack of shoestrings for show. "Isabel's with Liz and they'll be here before we leave."

He grunted in response and crouched down, hunching over the boots and pretending to restring one of them. That was good to know because they weren't taking so much as one step out the door until the girls arrived.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The rustic interior of Big Dave's Hardware enveloped him in warmth the moment he stepped through the front door. His frozen face burned as it began to thaw but he had grown familiar with the sensation and he knew it wouldn't last long. He smirked as the sound of another snowmobile engine made itself known. He and Max had stayed on the ice horsing around well after Edward and the boys had left, having other things that needed to be done. But when they'd finally had enough they'd gone up to the main house to ask about borrowing a couple of the snowmobiles to make a quick run to the store. Julia had given her permission in her husband's absence and before he and Max had cleared the doors of the storage shed he had issued a challenge, daring his best friend to beat him to Big Dave's front door.

"Hi, Michael!" Maggie called, drawing his gaze to her and Edward where they stood at the counter talking to Big Dave. She ran over to him and grabbed his hand, pulling on it as she looked up at him. "Guess what? Me an' Daddy came to get Mama's presents. Daddy's is really special an' he didn't tell nobody what it is." She grinned in response to his smile. "Did you come to buy Maria's present?"

Before he could answer the door opened again and Max came in, still brushing the snow off of his entire body. He shot a look at Michael, a promise to pay him back for the snow shower he'd been given when his good friend cut in front of him and took the lead in their impromptu race to the hardware store.

"You guys do know it's Christmas Eve, this's a hardware store, and I close up shop in thirty, right?" Big Dave asked when he overheard the little girl's curiosity vocalized.

Edward smirked at his long-time friend and neighbor. "You got my package, Dave?"

The big man flashed a smile at Maggie's wide-eyed expression as she waited for his answer. "Sure do, got it locked up in back." He leaned over the counter and winked at the little girl. "Would you watch the desk for me while I go get your dad's present for your mama, Maggie?"

"We've got you covered," Edward answered as he turned his attention to his daughter. "Wanna go look at the shampoo and bath stuff for your present to Mama?"

Michael crouched down in front of her. "Your Captain of the Guard requests permission to accompany you, Princess Maggie."

She hugged herself as she twisted back and forth from the waist up, giggling as she watched him. "I gotta find Mama a Christmas present. I kinda know what I wanna get." She leaned forward and braced her hands on his steady shoulders. "You really wanna see?"

From several aisles over Max watched as the little girl took Michael's hand and led him over to the aisle where the limited supply of health and beauty aid products lined the shelves. He glanced up when Big Dave came back and handed a small package over to Edward. For nearly ten minutes he wandered the aisles without a clue. Never in his life had he found himself without a present for anyone on his list on Christmas Eve. And never in his life had he ever shopped for any of those people in a hardware store. He finally found his way over to the aisle Michael and Maggie had taken ownership of, partly out of curiosity and partly out of desperation as he continued to come up empty-handed.

His eyebrows shot up when he came around the corner and he saw Michael crouched down, his knees braced on the lowest shelf as he sniffed the purple bottle of body lotion Maggie was holding out. He pretended to look at the available selection of bar soap, listening to the conversation going on between the two of them.

"It smells pretty, doesn't it?" She turned the bottle so that the label was facing him. "What's it called?"

"Um…" he had to lean back to avoid crossing his eyes as he read the lettering. No way was he telling her it was called Midnight Passion. "I think it's some kinda flower." He nodded at the shelf. "Let's try that next one."

Between the two of them they finally managed to pick out their gifts and Michael stood with a mixture of shampoo, bubble bath, body wash, and lotion in his arms. He juggled them carefully when Maggie stretched up on her tiptoes to make a grab for one of the bottles, chattering excitedly about their findings. He watched Max inch his way down the aisle, pausing to look at things that obviously held no meaning for him until he finally reached the small section of cologne.

His mind took him back to an evening spent shopping for Christmas trees and he couldn't help the small smile at the memory. He'd been so impatient to be finished searching for the Christmas Nazi's perfect tree that he was convinced didn't exist anyway. He felt bad for Max because the guy was so out of his depth as he searched the aisles of the hardware store for a gift for his wife. His friend, his brother was the type of guy who understood that whole being romantic thing and with that whole sensitive thing he had going on, having to shop for his girl in a backwater hardware store had to be tearing him up inside because he wanted better for her.

"Hey, Max, what's up?"

Max gave a snort that revealed discomfort rather than disdain. "Christmas shopping for Liz."

He grinned and without missing a beat asked, "Gonna buy her a ratchet set?" He reached over and placed a hand on one of those tense shoulders. He understood the need to be alone when he was uncomfortable. "Me an' Maggie are done here so I'll see you later." He walked to the end of the aisle before turning and calling his friend. "Max?"

"Yeah?"

"It's not where you buy it or the price tag that matters, you know that and so does she. Just do what you always do and listen to your ticker."

Max smiled and nodded. "Go on, your little princess is waiting for you. I won't be far behind."

Edward and Big Dave were laughing together over some old Christmas story and as they approached Michael couldn't help but stare at the open package sitting on the counter and revealing a string of pearls. Just the sight of them sent him back to Christmas two years ago and once again he had to thank Isabel for saving him with a pair of pearl earrings.

He looked down at the bottles in his arms and he knew if he had the money he'd have sprung for something a little nicer. But sitting in the Stevens' driveway before taking off he'd taken a moment to check his wallet and pockets. Sixty-five bucks and change along with that little Candyland token he'd snatched that night he and the guys had gotten involved in the game.

"Mama an' Maria are gonna be so surprised!"

He smiled at her as he unloaded the items on the counter. "That's some gift there, Edward."

Big Dave erupted with a loud bark of laughter. "I wouldn't be too impressed, Michael. I was here when he bought his bride a Timex windup watch just before closing on Christmas Eve the very year they were married."

"Gotta knock one outta the park every once in a while," Michael muttered as he leaned in to get a better look at the necklace. "It's a beautiful piece."

Edward was pulling his wallet out to pay for Maggie's gifts when she reached up and placed one of her little hands over his. Her expression was so sincere as she looked up at him, her pretty blue eyes sparkling.

"No, Daddy, it's my gift an' I saved my 'lowance," she said as she pulled her little pink Hello Kitty wallet out of her coat pocket. She stretched up on her tiptoes to dump the contents on the counter and three pairs of hands quickly moved to form a barricade in an effort to prevent the coins rolling all over the place from escaping and falling to the floor.

"Would it be alright if Maggie rode back with me, Sir?" Michael asked a few minutes later when Big Dave handed him a sack with his purchases. "We kinda made plans to wrap presents together."

Max was only listening with half an ear when something across the store caught his eye and, mindful of the time, he hurried to search the shelves for that one perfect gift.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Isabel listened with half an ear as Maria and Liz carried on a conversation about their nights with their guys while making a batch of cookies. They weren't intentionally excluding her, but she wasn't involved with anyone and there were very, very few things she wanted to know about her brother when it came to things like this, so she really didn't have much to contribute to the conversation. It wasn't that they were being tacky or graphic, but the innuendo was enough that she knew what they were talking about.

She was genuinely happy for them; it sounded like things were getting back on track and they were finding solid ground in their relationships. But she focused a little harder than necessary on the strand of lights she was trying to make work when they started discussing the flashes. She could hear the excitement in Maria's voice as she confided in Liz about finally having gotten a flash from Michael. And she knew how big a deal that was in light of the ups and downs the couple had been through over the course of their relationship. But the past year had really been rocky and if they had been going to break, she had a feeling that was what would've done it.

Apparently Liz had also begun having flashes again recently, something that wasn't surprising given the fact that the couple had gotten back together and married all without ever talking out everything that had been between them. Tess, Zan, Kyle, anger, betrayal, hurt, confusion, etc… For the flashes to occur she knew it required more than the bond of intimacy; there had to be absolute trust because opening yourself up that way gave the other person a certain power over you. The power to hurt as well as the power to heal. It was the greatest of exposures because it laid the heart and soul bare. It wasn't a matter of just trusting the other person with a secret; it was a matter of trusting them with every part of your being.

She had never had that with Jesse. Not even after he'd learned the truth. She knew why she'd never allowed that connection to open between them now. She had loved him, she had married him, but she hadn't been able to trust him with her secrets. She could've, should've told him the truth but she hadn't; he'd learned it in the worst possible way and they'd never really recovered from the shock. She didn't doubt that he'd truly loved her but knowing that she hadn't trusted him enough to share the truth about herself, to willingly place her secret in his hands, no matter how much he loved her, she believed in time that knowledge would've destroyed their marriage.

_She hadn't told Alex either,_ she mused.

"But you wanted to tell me."

She looked up from the lights to meet his gray eyes. She had wanted to tell him. She'd known they could trust him. She'd felt it and it had made her feel safer than anything else ever had. "I did," she whispered.

"I think you would've," he said with a wink, "if Liz hadn't already blown the big surprise while we were sitting in that jail cell." He crouched down in front of her and nodded at the tree. "Why don't you have Kyle over here helping you with this?"

She shrugged and glanced over her shoulder at Kyle where he was stretched out on the loveseat pretending to sleep. He'd managed to find ways around helping to decorate at the other two cabins and when they'd finally made it back to their own cabin he'd just thrown himself down on the loveseat and said he was taking a nap. "I don't think he likes Christmas." She turned her attention back to the lights. "Too many bad memories."

"So give him some good ones." He reached out and touched the strand of lights that stubbornly refused to cooperate and a moment later they flickered to life. "No one knows how to do Christmas better than you do."

"I could work wonders on a Grinch," Isabel sighed and shook her head. "The problem isn't that his heart's two sizes too small, Alex. The problem is his heart's just too big."

He smiled as he watched her puzzle over the problem. "I'll see you soon, Isabel."

She nodded absentmindedly and turned to look at Kyle again. He was restless, his movements fidgety as he sought to find that elusive comfortable spot. The television was on, tuned to a Christmas movie that he wasn't watching and had only been left on for the girls. "Kyle." She reached over and grabbed one of the foam Christmas bulbs and threw it at him to get his attention. "Kyle!" She rolled her eyes when he threw it back at her without ever opening his eyes. "Come over here and help me put these lights on the tree."

"I'm busy."

"You've been doing the same thing all afternoon."

"I'm saving my energy for the tree trimming festivities at the Stevens' house." He snorted. Yeah, there was something he was looking forward to. He could just imagine Julia coming up with one of her many 'what's your favorite…?' games.

"Well, right now we're in the Evans house and I'd like to put these lights on the damn tree."

"Uh, no, we're in the Valenti house, Sugar Muffin." He pushed himself up just enough to shove a pillow under his head so he could look at her. "Now I know we didn't discuss it before we got married, but I'm kind of a traditional guy. I don't mind if you'd like to hyphenate your last name, but now that we're married you're stuck with the Valenti name."

She smiled slowly. "And you're stuck with a wife who will make you miserable if you don't get your ass over here and string these lights."

Sitting at the table, hands paused over the cookies waiting to be decorated Maria and Liz exchanged an amused look.

"Frustrated much?" Maria muttered under her breath.

"Right?" Liz dusted a coating of the glittery green sprinkles over a Christmas tree shaped cookie. "Do you think they have any idea?"

The girls looked at their friends and then back at each other. "No," they said at the same time.

"Fine, I'll do it, but only because I don't wanna wake up from a nightmare where some squirrel's run off with my nuts."

Isabel narrowed her eyes at him. "We're sooo getting a divorce when we leave here."

"Fine by me, but don't expect any alimony because I'm pretty much wearing all of my earthly possessions and you don't get the shirt off of my back."

"Well, I sure don't want that thing. You've been wearing it for the past six months." Inside she was smiling though because the shadows that had turned his blue eyes into a murky blue-gray most of the day disappeared as he lost himself in their bickering banter.

They were finally putting the finishing touches on the decorating when they heard footsteps stomping on the tiny porch and a moment later the front door opened and Max walked in. He brushed snow off of his coat and pulled his hat off of his head, leaning leaned back against the door as it shut behind him. His cheeks were flushed red from the cold wind but his eyes radiated happiness.

"Where's Michael?" Maria asked when her boyfriend didn't barge in right behind him.

"He and the little princess went straight to the castle." He scratched the back of his head. "We're under orders to head that way." He leaned over to pick up what looked like a ball of twine and he almost laughed when he looked at it. "I think you left one of your decorations off the tree, Sis."

Isabel turned, automatically putting her hand out to catch the ornament and immediately shrieked and threw it back at him when she saw what it was. "That is not going on our tree."

He smirked at the bird's nest and the poor little bird clinging onto the twigs with its little wire feet. "Jeez, Iz, someone put a lot of work into this thing, and you know the people here are so grateful for all that you've done. It'd sure be a shame if one of them stopped by and the ornament they'd made so special wasn't on your tree."

She walked over to him, pulling herself up to her full height and staring down her nose at him for a full ten seconds before she reached out and snatched it out of his hand. She stalked back over to the tree and shoved the offensive thing into Kyle's hands. "Put that on your side when I won't see it."

Liz shook her head at Max when he insisted on baiting his sister. She got to her feet and stretched, grabbing one of the warm cookies and carrying it over to him. "Here, just for you." She pulled it back when he smiled and reached for it. "Only if you promise to leave her alone."

"For now," he said and reached around her, pulling her close and taking hold of the cookie before she could get away. He dropped a kiss on her lips and smiled as he pulled back to savor the treat. "We'd better get going before El Capitan comes down here to see what's taking so long." He clapped his hands when no one made a move to get ready. "Hey, he's in one of those rare good moods right now, do we want to screw that up?"

He nodded in satisfaction when that seemed to do the trick.

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It was so quiet she could hear the snowflakes as they fell atop the snow already on the ground. There was a stillness, a calm that soothed her nerves as she stood on the Stevens' back porch surrounded by the Christmas lights that ran along the eaves and the railing. She missed the desert, but in spite of the temperatures that she was certain had to be dipping into the subzero category again, she could understand why people would be drawn to these cold, clear nights.

Her arms wrapped around her body in an attempt to ward off the chill when the wind picked up. She could handle the cold even though she had a preference for that hot, dry heat, but she hated getting a chill. She didn't turn around when the door behind her opened, knowing it was Max without looking. They'd shared a sort of sixth sense for as long as she could remember; an awareness of the other that was both comforting and annoying at times.

"You know it makes Michael nervous when any of us are out of his sight for very long."

She sighed and leaned against the support post next to the steps. "In our next life he should be an old woman." She glanced at him for a moment before looking to the sky once more. "Did he send you out here?"

He chuckled and moved to lean against the opposite support post, turning his head to follow her gaze as she stared out into the night sky. "Not in so many words."

"The suggestive glare?"

"Does he have another kind? If he could verbalize half of what he says with just one of those looks we'd never shut him up." He shook his head. "Seriously though, Kyle told him to chill out and since he was keeping an eye on you it seemed to calm El Capitan down a little. Besides, Maggie's trying to teach him all the words to that Whoville song in the Grinch cartoon."

That got a quiet laugh out of her. "Yeah, can't you just see him standing there in a circle holding hands and singing?"

"_Welcome Christmas_

_While we stand_

_Heart to heart_

_And hand to hand"_

They glanced at each other in a moment of shared humor.

"You remember Dad trying to figure out what they were saying because you wanted to learn the song?"

"He still has some of the words wrong," she said as her eyes locked on the sky once more. It made her smile, but it hurt to think about her parents being alone at Christmas. _Alone and on the run,_ she thought sadly.

"You were right, you know," Max said quietly. "We should've told them."

She shook her head.

"Don't do that."

Her tone was genuinely confused. "Don't do what?"

"That thing you do where you put your own feelings aside to make me feel better." He shifted, taking most of his weight on his shoulder. "You've always done that." He sighed and focused on the stars above. "You wanted to tell Mom and Dad the truth about us and I refused, you were all set to graduate early and you wanted to get away and go to college out of state and I threw my weight around, just trampled all over your feelings and completely ignored what you were going through."

"Max, you had just found out you were gonna be a father and you were falling apart."

"And so were you. We had just lost Alex and you were so… lost. I knew it, Isabel. I just couldn't seem to see past my own problems. You were so pissed at me that night, so hurt, but as soon as you saw the state I was in you put all of that aside." He held a hand up when she started to speak. "If we'd told them we would've been stronger for it. We would've been safer." He shrugged. "My actions caused Dad to be suspicious of me and then when you tried to cover for me, those suspicions began to include you and it just caused so many problems that could've been prevented."

"Maybe, maybe not." She smiled slightly. "It doesn't do any good to go over and over the past, Max. It happened, it's over, and I think like Liz said before we just need to leave it there and focus on moving forward."

"Yeah, I guess you're…" His head snapped around when she gasped and he strained to follow her gaze, understanding when he saw the light streaking across the sky. "Haven't seen a shooting star in a long time."

"Did you make a wish?" she asked.

He watched the disappearing star before looking at her. "Did you?" She had. He knew she had. How many nights had she sat at her window or out in the backyard with Dad just waiting for one of those little stars to shoot across the sky? "Anything good?"

She smirked. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

Max straightened away from the post. "I hope it wasn't for more snow." He moved to stand beside her. "You know you nearly sent Michael into orbit with that little stunt the other morning."

"We needed to be here for Christmas, Max. I can't explain it, but I believe it."

He hugged her tightly. "I know," he murmured. "We're gonna get through this, Isabel."

"Promise?"

"Would you believe me if I promised?"

She could hear the sincerity in his question and she leaned back to look at him. "Always, Max. Maybe you can't pull a rabbit out of your hat every time, but I know you, and I know that you'll always do everything you can to keep a promise."

He felt like a weight had been taken off of his shoulders. "I love you. You know that, don't you?"

"No matter how angry I've been with you I've never doubted that." She gave him another hug. "And just for the record, I'm kinda fond of you too."

He chuckled. "So you wanna tell me what's up with you and Kyle?"

"Why don't we go inside and see if Michael's made any progress with that song?" she asked rather than answer his question.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Michael watched a pajama-clad Maggie as she moved around the living room, her excitement over Christmas apparently contagious. He wasn't sure which one was the most infectious Christmas cheer carrier – the little girl or the Christmas Nazi. Although he had a feeling all of the merriment had gotten a little overwhelming for Isabel because she'd retreated a while ago and Max had finally gotten off of his ass and gone after her. He shook his head. Sometimes he wondered what they'd do if he wasn't there to remind them that being separated was dangerous.

He was ensconced in one corner of the couch with Maria nestled against him, her slight weight a comforting warmth. Throughout the evening they had watched at least half a dozen children's Christmas movies and they'd _all_ had songs that Maggie had wanted to sing with him. She hadn't understood why he didn't know the words to the songs and he'd been uncomfortable when that had drawn unwanted attention to him. He'd been tongue-tied when she'd asked why he didn't know any of the songs and Maria had been in the kitchen helping with post-dinner cleanup.

He hadn't been expecting it when Kyle had stepped in and explained that Michael hadn't been very good at memorizing the lines when he was little. It was a dumb explanation but for some reason she'd bought it. And then his good buddy had spoken up and suggested that maybe between her help and it being the time of Christmas miracles maybe she could teach him the songs. Obviously being subjected to the Christmas Nazi's special brand of holiday cheer 24/7 had started to affect him.

He'd see that Valenti paid for every word he'd been stuck learning as the night wore on.

"Get rid of that Grinch-y look," Maria said and pinched his side lightly.

"Would you keep it down," he growled under his breath, watching Maggie to make sure she hadn't overheard her speak. "She so much as hears the word Grinch and I'm gonna get stuck singing another round of that Wa-Hoo song." He glared at her when she chuckled and started to hum the chorus of that awful song. "It's not funny, Maria."

"Oh, it's not that it's funny, Spaceboy. You just have no idea how it affects me to watch you with her." She reached up to catch his chin and turn his head so she could look into his eyes. "One day, when the time's right, you're gonna make a wonderful dad."

Before he could respond to that the door opened and he heard Max and Isabel come back inside. It took less than a heartbeat for Maggie to make a beeline for them, excitedly announcing that it was time for the kids to open up a single present before bedtime. He let the voices fade into the background, feeling more settled now that everyone was once again inside the house. Between the warmth in the room, his girlfriend snuggled up against him, and the hypnotizing flames dancing in the wood burning stove his eyelids began to feel heavy.

He blinked in an effort to dodge the sandman and shifted his gaze to the small table that held the hand-carved Nativity set. He'd listened when Liz had asked about it out of curiosity and he hadn't been too surprised when Julia had shared the story of how it'd come to rest in their living room. Edward had carved it himself, presenting it to her the year after he'd gifted her with the watch Big Dave had mentioned earlier that evening.

_The girls had all laughed, apparently sharing that mystical understanding of what did and did not constitute the perfect gift regardless of the occasion. He'd gathered that a windup Timex watch ranked right up there with the economy size two-in-one shampoo and conditioner. He still didn't get it. Edward's gift had been something his wife could use, his gift had also fallen within that realm, but neither of them had fit into the gift parameters women used to gauge the worthiness of the gift itself. He hadn't missed the looks between the women in the room, the shared solidarity that obviously meant they'd all been presented with gifts that while meant well, had fallen short of the expected goal. He'd listened as they discussed the men they loved and there had been a sort of amused acceptance in their tones as they agreed that the most important thing was that those same men tried to please them._

_He'd looked at Maggie during one of the breaks between movies and she'd tipped her head back to look up at him when he poked her. She'd given him a smile, the very one that one day about ten or twelve years in the future would break the boys' hearts._

"_One day, when you're old enough to date – "_

"_That's gonna be a long time," she'd interrupted. "Daddy says I gotta be really old first."_

"_Your daddy's right about that, Princess. But when that day comes, and some boy gives you a gift that maybe isn't so perfect, would you do me a favor?"_

_She had nodded solemnly. "Okay."_

"_Just tell him thanks and even if it isn't what you wanted, don't bust his chops over it, okay?"_

_She'd wrinkled her nose at that. "What's that mean?"_

"_Well, even if it sucks and it's somethin' you never ever wanted, maybe you could just give the poor sap a hug and say thanks."_

_Maggie had smiled brightly. "Oh, I will, Michael, promise! Mama says you should always be thankful for every gift." She'd shifted to get up on her knees to lean against his shoulder. "Like, every year we always get boring stuff like socks an' that's not really a fun gift. But I 'member when Brian was kinda mad about that Mama told him he oughta be thankful 'cause some kids don't got no socks and so even when I get socks I say thank you."_

"_That's good. Always remember that for me, okay?"_

"_Okay." She had hugged him and then started to get down, but after a moment resumed her former position leaning against his shoulder. "Do you really think one day when there's a boy that likes me he'll give me socks?"_

_He hadn't been able to stop the unexpected bark of laughter at her innocent question. "No, I can't imagine any boy ever giving you socks."_

"_Did you ever give Maria socks?"_

_He had shaken his head. "No, can't say as I have."_

_She had stared at him for a moment before looking over his shoulder at Maria where she and the rest of the women were huddled in the corner working on some project. "I think she'd like socks if you gave them to her." She'd smiled widely as her gaze swung back to him. "Do you wanna watch Frosty the Snowman now? It gots songs we can sing too!"_

He focused on the empty manger at the center of the Nativity. He hadn't ever really gone to church or spent any time learning about Jesus, but even he knew the Christmas story that the season centered around. So it had struck him as odd that the baby Jesus had been absent from the Nativity but Liz had unknowingly saved him from asking when she'd posed the question herself.

Julia had explained that Santa would leave the baby Jesus carving in the manger before he left their home for the night after decorating the tree and leaving the gifts. Like him, Liz had been confused as to why Santa would be responsible for leaving the baby Jesus in the manger, but Julia had just smiled, her eyes misting slightly as they settled on the Nativity set her husband had lovingly carved and painted himself. It was symbolic, she had said. It represented the birth of their Savior and when the kids saw that the baby Jesus had been placed in the manger they knew it was Christmas Day.

His gaze was pulled away when Max and Isabel came into the living room with Maggie excitedly chattering as she pulled on their hands. He could see Edward and Julia coming down the hall; he held a book in one hand and she had a few presents cradled in her left arm. Without his permission his eyes dropped and for a moment he stared at their joined hands.

Max shook his head as he looked at Michael, his second in command, the one who constantly worried about all of them. He was slouched down at one end of the couch half-dozing while Kyle was sprawled out at the opposite end fully dozing. He glanced at his sister. "I think your husband's about to start snoring."

Isabel smiled sweetly at him and he was glad to see that most of the shadows in her dark eyes had disappeared for the moment. "Max, if I were you I wouldn't talk."

He turned to follow her gaze and he spotted Liz sitting in a chair across the room, snuggled down on one side, head tipped back, mouth hanging open, sleeping peacefully. He cleared his throat. "Um, I'd better wake her up."

Maggie ran across the room to stand before the other couch, facing her brothers as she announced that their presents were finally there.

The younger Stevens' boy smiled at his little sister. "Cool!"

Sitting at the other end of the couch Brian just rolled his eyes and muttered, "We already know what it is. It's the same thing we get every year on Christmas Eve, doofus."

Eddie narrowed his eyes at Brian but before he could get a response out his mom and dad came into the room and took their places. He reached out to help Maggie when she scrambled up on the couch, holding his hand out to accept his gift when Mama came by to pass them out. Even though they knew what was inside they tore into them with abandon, shredding the paper that had so painstakingly been wrapped around the small boxes.

Maria smiled at Isabel when she sat down next to her, the tall blonde shifting just enough to jostle Kyle awake. She watched as the kids showed off the gifts they had received and saw that they were ornaments for the tree. Eddie had received one in the shape of a guitar, Brian's was in the shape of a pair of hockey skates, and last, but never least, Maggie had received an ornament in the shape of a little yellow Labrador puppy.

After disposing of the wrapping paper, the ornaments were carefully placed on Santa's table that was now the proud presenter of a plate of homemade cookies, Snapple, and of course, carrots for the reindeer.

"So, what's Santa do with the ornaments?" Michael asked, his tone relaxed and lazy.

"When Santa brings the tree and decorates it he'll see the new ornaments on the table and he'll hand them on the tree." Edward leaned forward to pick Maggie up when she started to climb up on his knee. He settled her in his lap, smiling when her little arms wrapped around his neck and Miss Cindy Bear's hard little nose pressed into his Adam's apple.

"Daddy, Cindy's ready for you to read us her story," she said and tried valiantly to fight off a yawn.

He picked up the book that was tucked between his thigh and the arm of the chair and he held it out to her so she could open the cover. Her little hand smoothed over each of the pages lovingly as she carefully turned them to reach the beginning of the story. He could feel his family and their guests relaxing around him; could feel the warmth that came from being surrounded by those most important to him, and in turn that allowed him to relax. He could feel the eyes of their guests on him as he began to read the story he could've recited in his sleep but before long even that faded into the background.


	59. Chapter 59

**Author's Note: **A few small parts and/or quotes in this part were borrowed from the Season Two episodes "A Roswell Christmas Carol" and "Cry Your Name", and also the Season Three episodes "A Tale of Two Parties".

**Part 59**

Christmas Eve was magical. It was when a years' worth of dreams and wishes were realized, hidden in packages so carefully wrapped by loved ones. It was a night that made even the most distant possibilities seem attainable, a night when hope shined as brightly as the stars above, and a night that even history had shown to turn enemies into friends for a few short hours. It was a night for families to celebrate being with their loved ones, to open their eyes to the gift they had been given and should cherish openly for more than just one day a year.

Inside the Stevens' home, two families had come together to celebrate and prepare, to create a Christmas that not a single one of them would ever forget. The atmosphere inside the family home was one of warmth and love, peace and hope, comfort and acceptance. The assignments had been handed out and everyone was busy fulfilling his or her task as the tree was decorated and presents were assembled and wrapped.

Isabel was standing back, slowly moving back and forth as she observed the overall picture. At Julia's request she was the person responsible for directing this production so she was overseeing the placement of each and every ornament. "No, Max, move it to the right."

Her brother heaved a longsuffering sigh and untangled the thin gold string from the branch and moved it as directed. He held it in place for her approval before leaning over so he could hook it over the appropriate branch. He used his position to glance at the picture window, easily seeing the reflections of his friends and loved ones.

Liz and Maria had been charged with retrieving the ornaments from their packing and they reminded him of two little girls as they sat on the floor sorting through them. Michael had managed to get himself assigned to toy assembly duty because he'd been smart enough to act clumsier than he actually was and after nearly dropping multiple ornaments Isabel had ordered him to make himself useful by helping Edward. Lastly there was Kyle, settled in one corner of the couch drinking hot chocolate and eating Magic Bars while helpfully providing suggestions like a good assistant. He was being pampered because he'd helped place the tree in the stand out on the porch and then later helped get it set up inside. Yeah, how much of a job could that have been?

Julia was giving them a history of the ornaments as they were unwrapped and carefully handed up to him, unless they were on the lower branches and then the lady of the house would place them herself. His gaze landed on the first one that had gone on the tree and he recalled the story she had told of Grandma and Grandpa when they'd lived in the cabin Michael and Maria were staying in as she directed his placement of the ornament.

_Liz carefully unwrapped an ornament and was immediately captivated by what appeared to be an old Santa wearing a long red robe that was faded and made out of felt. It was trimmed in white and just came to the tops of his black felt boots. The felt was old, giving it the appearance of suede. She stood and held it up to Julia. "He looks more like a woodsman than Santa."_

"_And old too," Maria chimed in. "I'll bet there's a story behind him."_

"_Yes, Santa was Grandma's gift to Grandpa," Julia said, her eyes lighting up as she accepted it and she gazed at it with a soft smile on her face. "She made it for Grandpa the year they were married. She made him to resemble her idea of the man who would soon become her husband. See, he built their first home on the lake. Grandpa loved to work with his hands and he especially loved woodworking. It was the very first ornament on their Christmas tree."_

_Liz looked up at her own husband and then back to Julia. "That's a wonderful story," she said softly._

"_Would you do me a favor, Liz, and hand it up to your husband? We have a special spot for it near the top of the tree, just beneath the star."_

_Maria watched the couple's eyes lock as Liz reached up to pass the special ornament to Max, their hands touching and staying there for a moment. It was the first Christmas together for her best friend and her 'girlfriend' and even though the ornament was a part of Julia's family history, the moment between her friends was theirs alone._

_Her mind wandered to Grandma and Grandpa's cabin. It was comfortable and warm, an inviting home away from home that had provided a place of solace and allowed her and Michael to finally come to terms with their relationship and their past and given them the opportunity to begin to heal. "Their cabin is so special," she said with a smile. "We're so glad we were chosen to stay there. It's so… enchanting."_

_Michael rolled his eyes. Enchanting, he thought. Now there was a word to describe a refrigerated box that came with its own mouse._

"_When were they married?" Maria asked, choosing to ignore her boyfriend when she caught the quiet snort he probably wasn't even aware he'd let out._

_Across the room Edward and Michael paused, not moving until Julia spoke up to answer the question. "They were married inside the cabin in front of the fireplace on New Years' Eve, 1927."_

_Isabel smiled at the look exchanged between the older couple. "Something tells me there's more to the story."_

"_You'd be right about that," Edward said. "When I proposed to Julia in the spring of '87 I'd pictured a wedding on the beach between the big lake and the cabin in June or July when it's good an' warm and the sun doesn't set till well after 9pm."_

_Julia smiled at him as the memory crossed her mind. "We had a lovely wedding on New Years' Eve in the cabin in front of the fireplace just like Grandma and Grandpa."_

_Edward looked at Michael. "It snowed unexpectedly the next day, just like it did a couple days ago." He shook his head. "I spent two days digging us out by hand with a shovel. Very romantic."_

_Isabel shot a triumphant look at Michael that he chose to ignore. _

He was pulled out of his thoughts when the girls started making those sounds that almost always preceded some story about somebody's baby. He watched as Maria lifted out an ornament and held it up with care. _Yeah,_ he thought, _the special 'First Christmas' ornaments for each of the kids were next._

"Ooh, is this Eddie as a baby?" Maria asked as she handed it to Julia.

The woman looked at it for a moment, a gentle smile on her face as she turned to hand it up to Max. "Yes, he had those cute cheeks and the dimples."

His fingers traced over the ornament as he studied it and he couldn't stop himself from wondering if Zan's new parents would've gotten one of these for him. Technically it wasn't his first Christmas, but it would be the first one with his new family.

Maria pulled the next two ornaments out, Maggie's and Brian's, and Liz's thoughts shifted. It was funny how at Christmas babies seemed to be everywhere. During Christmas on the Lake they'd come out in droves to see Santa. And now, as her eyes fell on the Nativity set on the table her mind paused to think about the real Christmas story, that of a baby born on a cold dark night. A child whose life would change the world.

Liz watched her husband as he finally, seemingly reluctantly, hung the ornament on the tree and in that moment she felt the sharp pang of loss. All of these months she had watched him struggle with his own loss and she had hurt for him. She could remember the brief time she had spent with him as he'd waited for his dad to make arrangements for Zan to be adopted by a good family. She knew how much he'd wanted to hold his son close and never let him go, she'd seen the way it'd torn him apart to give him up, and watching him now, she suddenly felt that loss as if it were her own.

It was her loss, she realized with startling clarity. Zan was so much more than just Tess' son; he was a part of Max, and for that alone she loved him. There was a connection there, most likely because her connection to her husband, Zan's father, had been reestablished and was now stronger than ever. It was allowing her to really open herself up to the possibility that maybe someday, somehow, they would find a way to bring his son home. _Their son,_ she thought and as she lifted her head she caught his gaze and smiled. _Yes, Zan was their son._

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Michael took the opportunity to take a break, taking a seat and helping himself to the Snapple and Christmas tree shaped cookies left out for Santa. He frowned at the carrot arranged on one side of the plate of treats, peeled and cut into thin rectangular sticks. _Oh, well, he'd had to eat worse,_ he decided and picked one up.

"Whoa there, Santa," Edward said with a laugh. "You don't have to eat those; they're for your reindeer." He nodded at his wife. "Julia will use them along with a few celery ribs in the roasting pan to rest the turkey on." He took a drink of his bourbon-laced eggnog and set the glass down so he could remove the electric and acoustic guitar they'd bought for Eddie out of its box. He was reaching inside for the amp and mic when a pair of bright headlights cut through the room.

Max was using one hand to balance himself against the ceiling, the other stretched out to receive the next ornament from Julia when the lights nearly blinded him and he squinted against them, freezing when he saw the large vehicle coming up the driveway. His gaze swept around the room, seeing the girls freeze in response, and he shared a look with Michael and Kyle.

"Looks like Santa's sleigh's here," Edward said as he got to his feet. "It's my Aunt Connie and the kids' grandmother."

Julia turned to her husband. "She's your mother, Edward."

Michael watched them, easily detecting the tension rolling off of the man of the house.

"They came down with Maggie's gift and they'll be staying the night in the big cabin."

Max accepted the ornament, carefully cradling it in his palm. "Did they have to come far?" The road conditions still weren't optimum the last he'd heard.

"No, not too far. Aunt Connie and Edward's mom Candace live over by the old decommissioned air base."

He nearly lost his balance but quickly recovered.

Edward was getting an eggnog refill as the lights outside were suddenly switched off. "Aunt Connie's truck can handle it. She's got four-wheel drive and tire chains if she needs them. By the look of those headlights a second ago I'd say she left the snowblade at home."

"Go easy on the eggnog, Edward, we're almost done here," Julia suggested quietly.

"So," Michael shoved half of a cookie in his mouth, "want some help settin' up the mic an' amp?" His head turned sharply when he heard his girlfriend's snort and he leveled a look at her. "I have a girlfriend who sings," he said before she could open her trap and ask him when and where he'd learned that particular skill. And then he gave her a small smile when she just stared at him. He turned to Edward, scratching his thumb against his eyebrow as he muttered low enough that the words wouldn't carry to Maria, "The instructions are on the box, right? I mean, not that we'll need them or anything."

Julia stood back, taking in the decorated tree that had been lovingly decorated by Santa's very own elves and her eyes glistened as she looked at Edward. He was finally finished setting up their children's gifts and she reached out to him. "So many memories here, Edward. Can you believe it? 15 married years of Christmases together."

Michael glanced over at Kyle where he was now peacefully sleeping on the couch and his inner child that rarely made an appearance, and strangely enough only seemed to appear when he was screwing around with Valenti, decided to come out to play. While everyone was otherwise occupied he scooped up the carrot sticks and hung over the back of the couch, careful not to jostle his good friend while he arranged them to his satisfaction. He snickered under his breath as he viewed his handiwork and then flicked Kyle's ear.

"C'mon, Valenti, time to get back to the cabins."

His voice drew Julia's attention and she hid a smile, choosing not to comment on Michael's artistic talents. Had he been one of her boys he'd be in trouble, but he wasn't so she turned her gaze to Isabel who was watching him with a disapproving look on her face.

"Michael…"

"Hmm?" He was leaning on the back of the couch, chin resting on his crossed arms as Valenti slowly woke up.

Kyle glanced around blearily and suddenly realized his nose was partially stopped up. He reached up to press against it and scrambled to his feet when he realized something was stuck in his nose. He pulled the carrot sticks free and pinched his nose before breathing through it, the passageways now clear but filled with the strong scent of fresh carrot. He glared at Michael who was laughing like the big idiot he was. "That's not funny."

"Yeah, it was."

"Oh, the stockings still need to be hung." Julia moved out of Edward's embrace to go and collect them.

Kyle was still trying to figure out how to get rid of that damn carrot smell when he caught sight of Isabel. She had that gleam in her eyes as she watched Julia sifting through the sack containing the stockings she and the girls had decorated. It would be her last official job as the Christmas Nazi this year and he had a feeling she'd be a little sad when it was over.

She accepted the sack when Julia was finished sorting, nodding with a smile and motioning for Liz and Maria to join her.

Edward frowned as he looked at Julia. "Three elves to put up five stockings?"

"There're 13 this year, Edward."

"Thirteen?" he echoed in disbelief.

"Thirteen," she said with a smile and a kiss on the cheek. "Isabel and the girls have a surprise for us. All of us including Aunt Connie and Grandma Candace."

Michael's amusement over the carrot sticks had dissipated and now he was starting to get grumpy. He'd had enough of all the Christmas stuff and as much as he loved Maria and wanted to make her happy he was ready for a break.

As the evening drew to a close Julia presented each couple with their own ornament to hang on the trees that were now dressed and waiting for them in their cabins. "Just like Grandma and Grandpa have their first ornament on our tree. We want you to have your first ornaments from us to take with you after putting them on your trees to start your own memories." Her eyes watered as she gave them a smile. "We hope to see you for Christmas dinner. There's no rush to come up to the house, we won't eat until five."

She gave each of them a hug and thanked them before stepping back and letting Edward move in to shake their hands. He gave Michael a look as he took his hand, and out of earshot of his wife said, "You will be here for dinner. My Julia has it all planned, starting with a 24-pound turkey and a 12-pound ham."

Kyle snorted. "How could I possibly forget that 24-pound block of ice in my lap?"

Edward watched as Kyle's wife silenced her husband with a look before shifting her gaze to him.

"I can't seem to take him anywhere," Isabel said with a smile.

Maria squeezed Michael's hand as she cast about for something to say before he could speak up, but before she had the chance to run interference Max took a step forward, his hand held out to Edward. Their host accepted the proffered hand and shook it as he studied its owner.

"We appreciate everything you've done for us, Edward, and you can be sure we'll see you at dinner."

The man of the house nodded as his hand was released. "Until dinner, then." He watched them as they donned their winter gear, preparing to face the cold on the short trek down to the cabins. He observed them casually, taking in the silent conversation that passed between Michael and Max and in that moment he realized his belief all along had been nothing more than a misconception. Whatever their story was, it wasn't Michael that held the position as the group's leader. That role belonged to Max and while it went unspoken and unnoticed by outsiders, it was obvious it was understood within the group. Understood and respected. He wondered yet again what it was these kids had been through to form such a strong bond, but he had a feeling it was something he would never know.

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Maria shivered as she put the two small boxes down, her gaze lingering on the Christmas wrapping paper that covered them. She knew without looking that Michael had gone to start a fire in the fireplace and she shifted to turn on the lamp that sat on the table between the two chairs in the living area.

Even though it was just after three in the morning she was still feeling good. She felt energized. She smiled to herself. She felt alive. Spending Christmas Eve with the Stevens family and continuing their role-playing for a few more hours as they played Santa's elves was partly responsible for that. But most of it she knew, lay with the man crouched down in front of the fireplace.

She was excited for the kids, especially Maggie, and she couldn't wait to see them after they'd received their gifts. She turned slightly, her eyes moving back to Michael as he took his time with the fire even though it was already roaring. He hadn't commented on Max making a commitment to dinner the following night and extending their stay at Stevens Sanctuary beyond what he'd already decided would be their departure date. As a matter of fact, he hadn't said anything at all.

She knew he was on overload and needed his space. It had been a day filled with Christmas activities, putting the big day together for the kids, and it wasn't the kind of thing he was used to or comfortable with. He had been fine while he was busy, his mind occupied and keeping his thoughts away from old memories. Memories that she knew held little if any joy for him.

She reached for the small gift boxes and carried them over to their chairs, dropping down into the soft cushions of hers and giving the one with her name on it a shake. There was a quiet scratchy sound that intrigued her so she shook it again. She smiled when the slight noise drew Michael's attention and she held the one with his name out to him.

He got to his feet and reached out to take the box from her, the slick green wrapping paper nearly disappearing when he wrapped his big hand around it. He turned his hand palm-side up, staring at the gift for a moment before he slouched down in his own chair. He shifted a little to the right to avoid that one loose spring that liked to announce itself at the most unexpected moments.

Maria played with the ribbon on her box as a familiar feeling washed over her; the desire to stay in this place, to be able to put down roots and live their lives as part of this warm, accepting little community. Before that thought could take hold though, she tamped it down. They still had time; more than expected, thanks to Max's intervention. He had given them all the gift of one more night of enjoying this brief reprieve from their lives. She inhaled slowly, drawing in a deep breath that she held for a moment before slowly releasing it. She rolled her head along the back of the chair to look at her boyfriend.

"Beat?" she asked quietly.

"Doesn't even begin to describe it," he answered after a moment.

"Why don't we open our gifts and put them on the tree and just go to bed? How's that sound?"

He nodded slowly, his eyes locked on the flames dancing in the fireplace.

She got up out of her chair, her box clutched in her hand, and she nudged him. He shifted to make room for her on his lap and as soon as she'd settled down his arms came around her, pulling her in close to his body. She laid her head in the crook of his shoulder and sighed in contentment. "This feels so good."

His right hand rested on her thigh and he was just about to agree with her when she suddenly sat up, her eyes meeting his with a challenging gleam. He didn't know what was coming but whatever it was he'd go along with it.

"I'll bet I can open mine up first," she said with a grin.

Michael sat up straighter and snorted. "You're on." And with nothing more than that he snatched the small box from her hand and tucked it under his arm as he ripped the paper open on the one he held.

"Michael," she shrieked, the sound filled with chastising laughter, "you're cheating!"

"I think that only applies if you have the foresight to actually include conditions in the challenge." He looked at her for a moment before pulling her closer for a short kiss. "You'll wanna remember that for next time." He released her box and handed it back to her as he reached inside his own and pulled out a glittering Santa ornament.

Maria smiled as she pulled hers out and held it up next to his. Hers was a snowflake ornament and like Michael's it looked like a cut-out cookie decorated with sparkling frosting. Her eyes were shining as she looked at him. "Aww, Michael, it's us, Santa and Snowflake."

"Um-hmm." He held his out to her. "Why don't you stick 'em on the tree and let's hit the sack."

She rolled her eyes at him but got up to find a home for them on their tree. She knew even though he appreciated the gesture he just wasn't comfortable receiving gifts and it was easier to blow it off than try to find the words to express himself in these moments. "Well," she said as she moved around the tree, "since you made that romantic proposal so inviting…"

Michael pulled his shirt over his head with one hand and yanked the covers back with the other. "You wanna light a fire over there, Snowflake?"

"And suddenly you're in a big hurry."

He flopped back on the bed, stacking the pillows behind him to raise his upper body enough to allow him to watch her in comfort. "When it comes to getting you in bed I have an extremely low tolerance for waiting."

Maria snorted and shook her head at him as she found a suitable branch. "Michael, waiting is something you have a low tolerance for regardless of the reason." She smiled when she heard him shifting restlessly and she took her time seeking out the perfect branch for the second ornament and then leaning over to plug the strand of Christmas lights in. She crossed the room to turn the lamp off, leaving the room cast in the warm light from the fireplace with the colored lights from the tree blinking cheerfully.

She turned to look at him, taking in the pose that in spite of appearing relaxed was anything but. "Close your eyes and promise you won't peek."

"Maria," he growled impatiently.

"Michael," she said, her amused tone holding just as much patience. She could practically hear the wheels turning in his head as he tried to figure out what she was up to. "Just close your eyes and keep them closed."

"Is this really necessary?"

She moved to stand at the foot of the bed, resting one knee against the trunk that resided there. "I guess that depends on how badly Santa wants to see the surprise Snowflake has for him."

"C'mon over here an' let's check out Santa's surprise first." He grinned unrepentantly when she just rolled her eyes at him.

Maria motioned to his face. "Close those eyes."

He huffed in annoyance but did it anyway.

"And no peeking or the surprise will be rescinded."

"Rescinded," he muttered. "What've you been doin', reading the dictionary?" He felt stupid just lying there with his eyes closed. He cracked one eyelid just a bit and his eyebrow lifted in interest when he caught sight of her bending over her bag. He heard her humming under her breath and saw a flash of something green being pulled out of the bag. He tilted his head to one side in an attempt to figure out what she had in her hand and her hips began to sway as she started to sing _Santa Baby _quietly.

He listened to her. She had talent, but it was so much more than that. She had a gift, one that deserved to be known outside of their small circle. He knew they had no way of knowing what the future held but he wanted so badly for her to have the opportunity to share that gift. He hoped one day maybe she could have that.

"I know your eyes aren't closed, Santa. Close them or the surprise gets put away," she warned softly.

"What makes you think I'm lookin'?" he muttered.

"Because I can feel it."

He smirked smugly and closed his eyes. "Fine, but hurry it up."

Maria waited a few moments, waited for that feeling of being the focus of his intense gaze to pass, and when it did she knew he'd closed his eyes. She moved closer to the fireplace and kept an eye on Michael to make sure he behaved himself as she stripped out of her clothes so she could shimmy into the Snowflake lingerie Isabel had given her a hand with. That had been a little awkward but they'd gotten over it quickly enough. She smoothed her hands over the outfit and took a moment to soak up the heat from the fireplace before turning to face the man waiting for her.

"Santa baby," she sang as she glided across the floor. And the slight embarrassment she'd experienced over asking Isabel for this favor was worth it the moment he opened his eyes and she saw the heat flare to life as he took her in from head to toe. His gaze lingered in all the right places and it still took her breath away that she could draw such a reaction from him.

Michael sat up and motioned wordlessly for her to take the last few steps that would bring her into touching distance. "I don't know that I'd go around tellin' anybody that you've been an awful good girl," he said as he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her into bed.

"No?" she asked breathlessly when he immediately rolled her onto her back and braced his weight over her.

"Huh-uh." He met her gaze as his hand skimmed her back and side, searching for the snaps or zipper or whatever it was that held the scraps of material together.

"So if I'm not a good girl, what am I, Santa? A bad girl?"

He studied her features in the firelight and he shook his head as his big hand slid down to settle on her bare thigh. He lowered his head to kiss her, taking it slow for just a few moments and drawing it out so that by the time they pulled apart they were both breathing heavily. "You're not a good girl or a bad girl." His hand moved once again but this time he found what he was looking for with perfect precision and he set about slowly sliding the zipper down as he met her gaze. "You're my girl, Maria."

The declaration brought tears to her eyes and she threw her arms around his neck as her lips locked with his and their bodies crashed together. That was what she wanted more than anything else. To be his again, in every sense of the word.

And as Christmas morning drew closer he made sure she knew in no uncertain terms that she was his.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The cabin was comfortably warm, the couple inside enjoying the simple act of sharing the same space as they settled in for the night. There wasn't much left of the night as the predawn hours slowly passed. They had spent more than an hour on the ice before the cold had finally forced them to leave that moment behind and walk away with the memories of skating under the stars on a night so cold and silent that it felt like they were the only two people in the universe.

Upon returning they had warmed up with hot chocolate and then opened the gifts the Stevens had given them. Ornaments that resembled Christmas cookies made in the shape of a reindeer wearing a Santa Claus hat and striped scarf, and a red and white striped candy cane.

"They're cute," Liz said with a smile.

Max held the reindeer up and made a face at her. "Every time you look at this thing you're gonna think of me aren't you?"

"Every year." That thought caused a flood of warmth to rush through her. "Every year, Max." She motioned to the tree. "Hang yours first."

He walked over to the tree that she had already plugged in and he stuck it on the first branch he came to. She shook her head at him and carefully chose a branch to hang the candy cane on and then took a step back to look at it. "Our very own ornaments on our first tree."

Max reached for her, pulling her into his arms. "I wish this was real, Liz." He hugged her tighter and rested his chin on her head as he stared at the ornaments. "I want that so bad for you."

She pressed a kiss against his chest. "Want it for both of us, Max." She sighed quietly. "We'll have that one day. And we had tonight. It was special, helping the Stevens decorate their tree and get everything ready for morning. They have so many memories on their tree."

"Kind of a nice tradition, huh? We finally get settled somewhere maybe we can do something like that and put our own twist on it."

"That would be nice," she admitted. "I was watching you while you were decorating the tree and I saw the way you looked when the baby ornaments were given to you." She rubbed his back when she felt him tense. "You were thinking of Zan."

"Yeah."

"So was I," she admitted and immediately felt his heart rate increase. "Do you think there's any chance that one day we could bring him home?"

His heart stuttered in his chest. "I've always been scared to allow myself to hope for that."

"Because you didn't think I could handle it."

"That's part of it, but there's also the reality of our situation. I hope one day we'll be safe enough and stable enough to have kids and raise them, but bringing Zan home…" he swallowed with difficulty. "What made you change your mind?"

"I had a moment while I was watching you and I realized that Tess may have given birth to him but Zan is our son. I'm connected to him through you and I hope one day we can bring him home, to our home, and we can be a family."

Max drew in a shaky breath at her unexpected revelation. He couldn't imagine a better gift that she could've given him. At that moment it didn't seem possible to feel any closer to her. He had lost the ability to speak and he was overcome with the need to show her just how much he loved her. He swept her up in his arms and carried her to the bed in a few short strides, his eyes never leaving hers.

His mouth crashed into hers just as her back made contact with the mattress beneath her. She returned his demanding kisses with a need that uncurled deep within her. She began to tug at his clothes, desperately needing to make contact with his skin.

He pulled away long enough to draw air into his oxygen-starved lungs. Liz had his shirt nearly up over his head as she called out his name, his muscles tightening in response to the needy sound. In one fluid motion he rid himself of the shirt and he called her name roughly, his hot breath singing her neck. His hand traveled up under her sweater, finding the clasp of her bra with unerring accuracy. His hand made contact with warm damp skin and he heard her hiss when his thumb found its way to the rigid tip just begging for attention.

His hips arched forward when she reached for his belt and he drew in a ragged breath as he forced himself to pull back slowly. His hand slid across her belly, finally coming to rest at the button of her jeans. Removing clothing, reaching for protection, it all happened so fast, but in spite of that it felt as though time had slowed down.

The moment of clarity had Liz contemplating the way her body felt as if it was on fire as every cell in her body seemed to call out for his touch. Their gazes, locked and unbroken, were suddenly sprinkled with black specks that heralded what was to come next. She blinked as her head dropped back, arching in tandem with her hips.

Max's arms came around her, lifting her and holding her in his embrace as his hips flexed forward, bringing them together with one deliberate thrust. The connection was powerful; joining them together physically, emotionally, and mentally. Their connection was wide open and it only enhanced their joining.

"Max, please… Max…" She felt him draw back and move forward again, repeating the move over and over, the demanding rhythm building and answering her cries. Her hips rose to meet his and she rocked forward, digging her nails into his taut shoulders. The black specks that had appeared in her field of vision suddenly swirled and came together, exploding into a series of rapid flashes.

It was overwhelming and it all came together as her release claimed her. She held on tightly as Max broke eye contact, his head snapping back as her name spilled from his lips on a low, guttural cry that accompanied his own completion. Every muscle in his body was trembling and his dark eyes were damp as he rolled to bring her into his arms so they could catch their breath.

They lay there in silence, their embrace warm and loving as time once again began to pass, and he fumbled tiredly for the covers. He hauled them up over them and then draped his arm over her waist, smiling an exhausted but content smile that was mirrored on her face as they slid into a peaceful sleep.

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The lights on the Christmas tree blinked cheerfully and images of the lights danced on every available reflective surface. The joyful feeling the holidays always brought with them had begun to slip away as each step took them further from the Stevens warm family home. It almost felt as if they'd left Christmas there, tucked safely away inside its walls. It was quiet in the cabin, so quiet she could almost hear the nearly silent _plink _that accompanied every blink of the lights.

Kyle was still in the living room, probably staring sightlessly at the very same lights as they reflected against the darkened television screen. He had turned it on at nearly the same moment she had turned the Christmas tree lights on. She had hung the ornaments they had been given, but it had felt more like a duty than a joyous occasion. The ornaments were lovely and the gesture was appreciated, but Kyle wasn't interested in the festivities of Christmas and she was just… drained.

By some unspoken agreement they had maintained their silence and while he had taken up residence on the couch flipping through the muted channels she had moved from room to room like a ghost. Every bit of the energy that had coursed through her veins during the preparations for Christmas on the Lake, the event itself, and helping the Stevens family on Christmas Eve itself had simply fallen away, leaving her as easily as water left the sink to slip down a drain. If only it was that easy to wash away the damaged feelings that refused to let her go. Now that it was over she couldn't stop her thoughts from treading through the minefield of her mind.

She had finally retreated to her room and prepared for bed, crawling under the covers, and hoped for the oblivion of deep sleep. But as of yet that wish had been denied. She glanced down when she realized she was unconsciously twisting her wedding rings around her finger and she held her hand up, watching the diamond catch the lights from the Christmas tree. Why hadn't she ever tried to contact Jesse? She stared at the rings until the lights lost their sparkle and began to blur into a kaleidoscope of color. She sighed. She knew why she hadn't tried to contact him.

But what about her parents? No, she didn't have a picture of them, but she'd managed to connect on the dreamplane without the benefit of a visual aid before. It had been a while, but she knew it was possible. It wasn't as easy of course, but it could be done. A memory of the time she'd done that when she was younger rose to the surface and a sad smile crossed her features. She'd managed to scare Mom badly enough that she hadn't been able to sleep for a week.

She linked her fingers on top of the covers and stared at the ceiling until her eyes began to burn and she closed them, allowing them a moment to moisten. She sighed quietly and concentrated on the silence once more, turning her head just a bit when she heard the rustle of material as Kyle shifted restlessly. She rolled over to face the wall and made another furtive wish for sleep. How could it be so difficult to fall asleep? She was exhausted but it seemed even that wasn't enough incentive for her mind to let her body rest.

She rolled over again, blinking against the darkness and reaching out for the lamp beside the bed. Her hand collided with something unexpectedly and she muttered under her breath as she tried to remember what it could've been. She fumbled around for the switch and after the quiet _click _warm light flooded the room. She was swinging her legs over the side of the bed when she suddenly froze and a confused smile crept across her face as she reached out to touch the surface of the nightstand next to the bed.

_It felt real._

She pulled her legs up, hugging them as she looked around the room. Her bedroom in the house she'd grown up in. And everything was just as she'd left it. She glanced at the alarm clock next to the bed, smiling at its familiar face. 10:30pm… _That was strange,_ she thought as her brow furrowed. It must not be working. She reached over and picked it up, shaking it lightly before bringing it up to her ear. No, it was ticking off the seconds.

She knew it had been well after midnight when they left the Stevens home and it had been at least another hour before she'd finally given in and crawled into bed. In an effort to hold onto her parents she'd quickly become adept at tracking the time zones so she knew what time it was at home no matter where she was. Who cared what time it was? She was home.

She sighed happily and slid down, laying her head on her pillow and allowing herself to relax into what was certainly the most comfortable mattress in the world. Her eyes were just closing when a quiet knock at the door had them snapping open again. _It had to be Mom,_ she thought, _Mom, coming to bestow the same goodnight wish she'd made so many times over the years._ That thought had her quickly climbing out of bed and her heart soared with anticipation as she grabbed the knob and turned, pulling it open.

"Alex!" His name came out on a whisper. "What're you doing here?" she hissed as she grabbed his hand and pulled him inside. She hurried to shut the door before anyone could see him.

"Oh, ya know, I was in the neighborhood and it is Christmas Eve…" His arms came around her and he held her close.

She hugged him back, her hands clenching in the fabric of his gray sweatshirt. "But you can't be here!" What would her parents think of finding him in the house at this hour?! She paused and she closed her eyes as she rubbed her forehead against the soft material at his shoulder. _They wouldn't see him though, would they?_ Her eyes began to water as she leaned back to look up at him. "I'm not really here with you, am I?"

"No," he murmured quietly, "you're talking in your sleep."

Isabel swallowed hard, forcing the tears down as she looked up at him. "I want to be here."

"I know." He pressed his lips against her forehead for a moment. "But it's a dream and you'll eventually wake up." He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and turned her, walking her over to the bed and helping her under the covers.

"Alex… Please stay?"

He hesitated for the space of a heartbeat before he nodded and settled down beside her, pulling her into his arms. "I'll always be here for you, Isabel."

"I don't know where I belong anymore," she whispered.

"I'll hold onto you and maybe that way you won't be so lost."

She settled into his arms, releasing a sigh of contentment. She wondered just how long she could hold onto the dream even as a warning about the danger of getting caught up in the dream drifted across her mind. A slight frown creased her brow but she burrowed closer to Alex, relaxing as his comforting presence surrounded her. "Thank you for staying." She smiled when she felt his lips brush against her neck as he wished her a Merry Christmas.

Her eyes grew heavy as she sank even further into his embrace. It took an effort to form the words and work them past her lips, but just as sleep claimed her she managed a sleepy, "Merry Christmas, Alex."

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The silence in the cabin was comforting after the constant noise that had accompanied yet another busy day. They had left the Stevens a couple of hours ago and Isabel had been quiet. Not the kind of quiet that was calm and relaxing. It was the kind of quiet that came at the end of an adrenaline high; a quiet that was so loud it almost hurt. She had moved from room to room for a while, restless in the Christmas aftermath. He had dropped down on the couch and sent up a silent prayer to Buddha for getting him through the anxiety-inducing festivities in once piece.

Oh, they still had Christmas to wade through before the fun times were over, but for him the worst of it was finished with. At least Christmas Day would be spent amongst themselves and he had a feeling they'd probably just stay in their own cabins until it was time to trudge up to the main house for the big feast. He'd be happy to forego that joyous occasion but after everything the Stevens had done for them it would just be rude. Buddha wouldn't approve.

He had waited until Isabel had gone to sleep before he's turned the lights off on the Christmas tree and the darkness only seemed to enhance the quiet. He sighed in exhaustion as he sank into the mattress, pulling the covers up over him and rolling over to face the wall. The branches of the leafless trees outside cast spindly shadows on the walls, the sinister tendrils creeping across everything in sight. Somehow that seemed fitting. He closed his eyes and wondered offhandedly if she would try to dreamwalk her parents tonight. Or maybe Jesse.

_Nah._ His tired mind discarded that thought before tugging him into a light doze that was soon interrupted by familiar sounds.

_He frowned and moved to find the source of the noise, smiling as his surroundings suddenly began to morph and transform around him and he recognized the living room of the house he'd grown up in. The television was turned on, the channel tuned to the football game, and the coffee table littered with drinks and munchies._

_But where was Dad? He should be there. They always watched the game together._

"_Okay. I think we're just about ready."_

He recoiled, mind and body, in response to the sound of her voice. He jerked and the sudden jarring motion pulled him from the dream and back to consciousness. His eyes snapped open and his gaze sought out the familiar shadows in the cabin as he reached up to run his palm across his damp forehead. He kicked his right foot out as if the motion alone could eject her from his memory. "Not goin' there," he muttered under his breath as he rolled over to find a new position that would bring sleep without another visit from the snow witch.

For a moment he considered getting up and walking it off but he was too worn out to bother getting out of bed and making the effort. Without even realizing it his eyes fluttered shut and he gave in to the siren call of deep sleep.

_The table had been set with Christmas dinner and he was sitting on the barstool he had grabbed so Amy could have the third chair. He watched as Dad and Amy laughed about anything, everything, and nothing. Dad was in his element and Maria's mom would blush like a school girl from time to time as they managed to sneak the occasional flirtatious comment into the conversation._

_He sighed quietly and hung his head, wanting to shut out the images as Tess made the rounds with the rolls. He blinked and looked up just as she reappeared with his favorite dish in her hands and placed it on the table. Try as he might he couldn't stop the question he knew was coming._

"_Is that three-cheese potato gratin?"_

"_With bacon on the bottom. Your favorite."_

_Their eyes met and as they did he felt the pressure begin to build behind his eyes. His tired, foggy mind was fighting to make the connection. It was her eyes, he thought. Bright, a beautiful blue, and so sharp they never missed a thing. And they held his attention. He drew in a shallow breath and shook his head, breaking that contact._

_Rather than follow her into the kitchen when he excused himself, he got up from the table and turned to go in the opposite direction. He moved away from her and into the living room. The pressure began to subside and he was just about to drop down on the sofa when there was a knock at the door. _

He frowned for a moment as his muddled mind attempted to make sense of the changes. But before he had time to put any thought into it his mind urged him to move to the door and he obeyed it without hesitation. As he watched his hand reach for the doorknob, turn it, and pull it open he felt the pressure slip away completely.

_Isabel's grin was infectious and it lit her face up as she hit him with a cheerful, "Hi!"_

_His response was a little more low-key. He had plans. He was a man on a mission. "Hey."_

"_Kyle Valenti, it is your lucky night." And her right hand shot up to present him with a close-up of the movie she held._

_He smiled at that familiar and loveable Christmas-crazed gleam in her eyes before turning to glance back at the dining room. It was empty and relief washed over him as he realized that Christmas dinner with Tess was gone, wiped away by a better memory._

_He turned back to her, intending to ask her inside, but his eyes collided with empty space. He ran a hand over his chest absentmindedly and took a step forward to look for her when he was suddenly shoved backwards as Michael barreled through the door. His mind scrambled to make sense of it when Dad came in behind him, Isabel cradled in his arms as her life bled out of her from an unmistakable gunshot wound._

_His chest constricted. "Oh, my God, what happened?!" He could hear the fear in his own voice, could feel it causing tremors to run through him._

"_Get the trauma kit out of the garage!"_

_He ran to the garage, rummaging around for the kit Michael had ordered him to retrieve, but things were hazy and he couldn't find it._

Even in sleep the memory caused fear to rush through his veins, pushing his heart into overdrive as his thoughts automatically shot back to Isabel. Unaware, he spoke, though the words were whispered. "This can't be happening again."

_Suddenly the haze around him cleared and his hand landed on the kit and he ran back into the house that was quiet. _

His brow furrowed in sleep. It shouldn't be quiet. It should be chaotic as the guy Jesse had called showed up to remove the bullet.

_He dropped the bag and walked through the house, finding a pale Isabel lying in his bed. In a heartbeat he was at her side, his hand gripping hers as he wished desperately for the power to heal the way Max did. If ever there was a good reason to be jealous of Max Evans that was the moment. His grip on her hand tightened and he reached out with the other, carefully placing his palm over the wound and focusing as hard as he could. He expelled the frustrated breath he hadn't been aware he was holding as his attempt to save her failed. Tears rolled down his face as the reminder that he couldn't help her flashed in front of him once again. _

_He suddenly sat up, waking as a thought occurred to him. She was lonely and she desperately wanted to see her parents. He scratched his jaw as he recalled his promise to her that she would see home again. He got out of bed and padded quietly to her room, sitting beside her restless form and taking her hand._

"_Maybe I can channel my focus in another direction."_

_He frowned as the scene shifted and he looked down at her and realized his mind had taken him right back to his room and her still form. He wasn't awake. She was still shot and her life was slipping away. He was still trapped in the nightmare and it didn't matter what he did, he couldn't save her. A few more tears escaped, hot with anger and frustration._

"_I have alien powers but what good are they if I can transport people with nothing more than a thought but I can't save her when she needs me?" He stood abruptly, letting go of her hand and running his fingers through his hair just as a sharp cramp shot through his leg and woke him._

He sat up, wide awake and sweating as he looked around his room. For just the space of a heartbeat he thought he wasn't alone, but he brushed it off and attributed the feeling to the nightmares. "Useless friggin' alien powers," he muttered as he leaned forward to massage the cramp out of his leg.

"You have the power to save her."

He froze and his gaze darted around the room. "Alex?"

"You warned her about the danger of losing oneself in the dream."

He rubbed his eyes and blinked as he tried to decipher his friend's presence but he never materialized.

"Save her now. You know what to do."

The whispered words faded into the howl of the wind as it whipped around the side of the cabin and he scratched the back of his head as he looked out through the doorway of his room.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The sound of her name being whispered roused Isabel from the peaceful dream and at first she fought it, wanting so desperately to hold onto something happier. But the quiet voice was insistent and eventually she could no longer ignore it in spite of her wishes to do so. She tried to shift, to reach up and rub her eyes, when she realized that her hand was being held. Her heart leapt in her chest when she opened her eyes and saw Kyle sitting there, his hair in disarray and looking like he'd woken up and pulled on a pair of jeans and a thermal shirt.

"Kyle," she mumbled tiredly, "what're you doing in my room?" She pushed herself into a sitting position, her eyes finally focusing and trying to make sense of his hand holding hers. She blinked and lifted her gaze to his.

He put a finger to his lips and shook his head. "Don't let go of my hand."

"I'm still dreaming." _It was a dream within a dream,_ she thought as her free hand sought out Alex. Her head snapped to the side when she found nothing but empty space beside her. A quick look around the room identified the location and she realized she was indeed still in her bedroom at home.

"You're home, Isabel," Kyle whispered. "We've gotta be careful though."

She squeezed her eyes shut. Why was her mind doing this to her? She opened her eyes again and they settled on the alarm clock that now read 12:45am. She looked at Kyle again, opening her mouth to ask what he was doing when the muffled sound of her parents' voices registered in her ears and her heart leapt in her chest.

Kyle never said a word as he gave her hand a gentle tug, helping up out of bed and leading her over to the open bedroom doorway. His hand tightened around hers when she started to pull it free and he held her still when she would've bolted down the hall to the living room. He shook his head sharply in warning and crept out into the hall, leading the way. He could feel her nerves in the slight trembling that coursed through their clasped hands and he paused to turn and look at her, his voice low as he finally spoke.

"Whatever you do, don't let go of my hand. I don't know how long I can keep us here and if we get separated – "

"I can handle my brother and Michael."

"So can I, but I'd just as soon not end up back in the Arctic Circle and leave you here." He tightened his grip in warning as started to move again. "So don't let go of me."

Isabel rolled her eyes at him when he pulled her along behind him. "You do know it's kinda hard to be the little woman when I can see over your head, right?"

"Pick on my height again and I'll tell your parents we got married during a layover in Atlantic City."

_Well, at least he hadn't said Vegas,_ she mused, running into his back when he stopped suddenly in the entryway that led into the living room.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Diane stared at the Christmas tree that was decorated and lit up, her damp eyes causing the multi-colored lights to blur. She hadn't wanted to put it up, had resisted when Philip had suggested it, but he'd insisted it was necessary to keep up appearances. Her heart had broken a little more with every ornament she'd unwrapped, feeling as if each one was a symbol of the shattered pieces of her soul.

Almost every ornament had a story behind it. There were a few boxes of ornaments that were just decoration, but some of them had such special meaning and she'd shed more than a few tears while unwrapping them and finding that perfect spot for them on the tree. She looked up at her husband where he sat on the couch beside her, his eyes locked sightlessly on the tree. She had come into the room earlier and caught him standing next to the tree, a strand of the garland tugged away from the branches and clenched in his fisted hands as he held it to his nose. They'd caught Max doing that very thing so many times when he was younger and they'd never really thought much about his claim that the way the garland smelled after being warmed against the lights made him think of Christmas. Philip's eyes had been closed and she'd quietly backed out of the room to let him have that moment.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when he kissed her temple and rubbed her shoulder before pulling her tighter against his side. She glanced down when she felt him pressing something into her hand and her eyebrows lifted when she saw the small green velvet box with a glittering red ribbon tied around it.

She accepted the gift and shifted slightly, carefully untying the ribbon and laying it across her lap. She looked up into his eyes, seeing his love for her and the quiet strength that had drawn her to him from the beginning. She lifted the lid, feeling the quiet protest of the tiny hinges and gasped quietly when she saw the ring nestled inside the box.

"Oh, Philip," she whispered as a small smile settled on her lips. She lifted the ring out, identifying it as a mother's ring when she pinpointed the birthstones of their children flanked by their own birthstones. Her thumb ghosted over the stones and her heart swelled when she saw the tiny stone between his and Max'. _Zan,_ she thought, her heart aching for the grandson she would never hold again. Her hand rose to cover her heart as her eyes watered for what must have been the hundredth time that day. "It's beautiful."

Diane was watching him as he took the ring from her, the diminutive piece of jewelry dwarfed between his fingers. His hand shook just the slightest bit and she knew as much as he tried to hide it, to protect her from his own fears, that he held so much worry for their children and their grandson.

"So you always remember to believe," he whispered, his thumb rubbing over the stones for a moment before lifting her hand up to press a warm kiss to the skin just above the ring.

She wrapped her arms around him and settled into his embrace, closing her eyes and listening to the reassuring beat of his heart. She smiled to herself as she imagined the sound of footsteps coming down the hallway, the looks on her children's faces as they saw the tree and the look on Zan's face when he saw the pile of presents bursting beneath the lowest branches. If only it was real. She rubbed her forehead against his shoulder and opened her eyes, freezing when she saw the two people standing in the doorway.

"Philip…"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Kyle's arm was nearly pulled out of its socket when Isabel barreled past him and yanked him behind her in her haste to reach her parents. But he just went along with it and hurried to keep up with her as they approached the couple who were now on their feet, the shock on their faces clearly expressed.

"Mom! Dad! It's really me and I'm home!"

She threw herself into their arms and he was forced to endure a hug that felt like it would never end. Although it wasn't as awkward as it could've been and it did put off the explanation as to why he hadn't let go of their daughter's hand.

"Isabel, honey, how is this possible?" Philip asked when he finally released her to take a step back.

Diane did the same, her hand staying on her daughter's arm as her motherly gaze traveled over them. "Isabel, you're… honey, you're in your PJs and you're both barefooted! Come over here and sit down."

She could see the questions in their faces when their eyes landed on her hand, still firmly clasped in Kyle's warm grip. Without giving it a second thought she pulled free of his hold and cut off his protest. "There has to be another way for you to keep us here. Try focusing on something in the room."

_Try focusing on something in the room,_ he mocked silently. Alright, well, there was the Christmas tree that looked remarkably similar to the one that had appeared in their cabin the night Isabel had gotten plastered on the beer batter Edward had used for the fish fry. Or there was the mantle above the fireplace that was dressed with fresh greens and scented candles. He released a pent-up breath and his gaze settled on her again. Her features were animated; filled with joy and contentment and he felt himself cave. His hand brushed her arm as he leaned in close to her.

"Okay, but promise to stick close, got it? If I start to do a fade-out I need to make sure I can get to you." Her only response was to flash a quick smile in his direction and then her attention went right back to her parents.

Philip was still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that his daughter and Jim Valenti's son were standing in his living room. "So I take it you have some sort of ability that's allowed you to bring Isabel home?"

Isabel reached for her parents' hands before he had the opportunity to explain. "Mom, Dad, we probably don't have much time. If you're being watched we don't wanna put you in more danger than you already are. The less you know the better off you are."

"Don't you worry about that, honey," her dad assured her. "We have contingency plans in place."

Diane made a shushing motion with her hand to stop the question-and-answer session. "How's your brother? How's Max? Didn't he want to come home with you?"

She glanced at Kyle. "This was a last-minute decision. Mom, Max misses you guys so much. We were just talking about that recently and he told me how much he regrets not telling you and Dad about us when I wanted to tell you." She looked between them and her heart contracted when she saw the love and acceptance in their eyes. "I always wanted to tell you." She shut her eyes for a moment and swallowed hard before changing the subject. "Um… Jesse?"

Kyle turned to look at her fully, his eyes filled with concern as he watched her. He was unaware of the way her mother was watching him. He could see the tremors moving just under her skin, could almost feel the hot tears forming in her eyes. He moved to give her some space, facing away from her to allow her the privacy to deal with the emotions, but stayed close enough to grab her if it became necessary.

Diane's thumb stroked her over her daughter's hand as she contemplated her next words. She glanced down for just a moment when she felt the stone on the engagement ring her son-in-law had given to Isabel. She wasn't surprised that she was still wearing it, certain that it was her way of trying to hold onto the life that had been ripped away from her.

Philip cleared his throat quietly and his smile didn't quite reach his eyes that were soft but direct. "He stayed for a few months and when he didn't hear from you, he left."

Behind her Kyle could feel his muscles tensing up in response to the catch in her breath as she tried desperately to keep herself from falling apart.

"He's in a safe place, honey." Philip squeezed her hand. "He left you something. I'm gonna go get it, okay?" He paused at the doorway to look back at his little girl, praying she wouldn't disappear before he got back.

She watched her dad get up and leave the living room, his steady gait taking him to his study. The air in her lungs suddenly gave way and in spite of her best efforts to hold it back a hiccup escaped and worked its way up to a sob. "Oh, Mom, you were right. I made a mistake with Jesse. I should've listened to you. To all of you; Max, Michael, even Alex… you all tried to tell me but I wouldn't listen. I…"

Kyle was acutely aware of the moment Isabel fell into her mother's waiting arms. He bit down hard on his bottom lip as the woman's warm soothing voice began to calm her only daughter. He shoved his hands in his pockets and let his gaze wander around the room that was a reflection of the woman who had decorated it. He didn't want to eavesdrop on the private conversation but he couldn't exactly leave the room either.

"Shush, Isabel," Diane whispered as she rubbed her little girl's back. "Oh, honey, you and Max have had way too much to shoulder in your young lives and you've been alone in it." Her eyes flicked up to take in the sheriff's son. They didn't know him that well, but she could feel the connection between him and her daughter. He was a source of strength for Isabel and his efforts to give them privacy while staying close by in case she needed him spoke volumes. She leaned back slightly and reached up to brush the hair out of Isabel's eyes before letting her fingers drift down to wipe the tears from her cheeks. "You have nothing to apologize for here." She didn't comment on the inclusion of Alex in the list of people who had tried to convince Isabel that Jesse wasn't right for her or that at the very least she was rushing things. She glanced up when her husband came back into the room with a folder in his hand.

Isabel smiled weakly at her dad when he sat down next to her mom and pulled a handkerchief out of his pants pocket. She accepted it with a teary laugh, clinging to the linen cloth like a lifeline. She pressed it to her nose, catching a whiff of his aftershave mixed in with the laundry detergent her mom had been using for as long as she could remember. She swallowed with difficulty when her eyes landed on the folder Dad was opening up and she dabbed at her face with the handkerchief when he held a pen out to her.

Philip pointed to two lines with X's marked next to him. "Just sign and initial the document and it's done."

Her vision blurred until the letters on the divorce papers began to run together and she drew in a shaky breath when she felt a familiar hand settle on her shoulder, giving it a supportive squeeze before Kyle returned to his post. He was just _there._ His presence was reassuring, his easy acceptance a soothing balm to her wounded soul, and she wanted him to know just how much she appreciated everything he did for her. Of course, it would also embarrass him like nothing else if she ever came right out and told him.

Diane watched as her husband led Isabel through the signatures and initials even though they were clearly marked. Her gaze lifted to the sheriff's son once again. He had stepped back, giving her plenty of space to do what needed to be done. His features were carefully blank, but when Isabel removed her rings and placed them in her father's palm, she saw that mask slip and in her opinion the relief, the hope… the love there, said so much. And as she turned her attention back to her daughter she knew she hadn't yet realized that the young man who had become her best friend and confidant was in love with her.

"Isabel."

She turned her head, looking at Kyle and seeing the exhaustion in his features. Not just from the day, but from the strain of maintaining their presence in Roswell. They really didn't know much about his new power yet and she could only imagine the toll it was taking on him. She could also see the regret in his eyes, the silent apology for interrupting her time with her parents. She nodded and looked at her parents once again.

"Mom, Dad, I don't want to, but we have to go." She gave a shaky laugh. "If Max and Michael knew he had done this they'd be having fits." She shot a quick glance at him. "And this ability's relatively new and Kyle's never maintained it for this long."

Diane and Philip stood and pulled their daughter into their arms, holding her tightly and wanting to never let her go. Eventually though, the reality of their situation intruded and they released their hold on her. Isabel smiled tightly as she looked around the room and her gaze paused on a framed picture that rested on a shelf.

"Mom, would you mind if I take that with me?"

Diane turned to follow her gaze and she hurried across the room to grab it even as Philip stepped around his daughter to extend his hand in Kyle's direction.

"Kyle, we appreciate what you've done." He lowered his voice as Diane and Isabel spoke in hushed tones over the photograph. "And thank you for taking such good care of her."

"We take care of each other, Sir," he said as he returned the man's handshake.

Philip just nodded with a smile that said he understood what it took to take care of his little girl before going back over to his wife and daughter. He watched as Diane took a few steps in the young man's direction, hugging him tightly as the heat of embarrassment flooded his cheeks.

"I can't thank you enough, Kyle." Her eyes were glistening as she met his gaze. "You'll have to wait a while, but she's worth the wait." She patted his cheek and moved back away when her husband called her over, no doubt to save the poor boy from more discomfort.

Isabel wondered what all of that hushed conversation was about and hoped that her parents hadn't completely embarrassed Kyle with their well-meaning gratitude. "Mom, Dad, I hope you know how much Max and I love you." She threw herself back into their arms and clung to them with every ounce of strength she had. "Tell me you believe we'll see each other again."

Philip closed his eyes as he felt them begin to burn in response to his little girl's plea and he inhaled deeply. "We'll see each other again." He didn't know how, he didn't know when, and he had no idea where, but he did believe every word he was saying as he made a promise to her. "You're not alone in this anymore, honey."

"No," Diane whispered, her gaze locking with Kyle's over Isabel's shoulder, "no, you're not."

Isabel felt Kyle's presence next to her and in spite of the momentary thought that they could take her parents back with them she stepped back and her hand slid into his without hesitation. "I love you both so much." She blinked and in less than a heartbeat her surroundings changed and they were once again in their darkened cabin.

"Thank you, Kyle," she said, her voice hushed and filled with tears of happiness as she hugged him. "Going home was the best gift anyone could've given me."

He wrapped his arms around her, savoring the freedom to hold her for a moment before he dropped his arms and stepped back to give her a grin. "Well, even though you cut me off before I could get Jodi Ann into the showers…" He chuckled when she punched his arm. "I'm glad it worked out." He pressed his forefinger to his lips. "But not a word of it to El Capitan or El Presidente, otherwise we're gonna be in for it."

She smiled and nodded. "You have my word."

"C'mon, you're beat." He gestured to her bed. "You should get some sleep before it's time to get up and make breakfast."

Isabel slipped under the covers, smiling tiredly as he fussed over them for a moment. She reached over and set the framed 5x7 photograph on the table next to the bed, running her fingers over the edges before easing back into bed. She shuffled over and patted the mattress. "It's warmer in here, Kyle, why don't you stay?"

_Yeah, because you're in the friend zone so I can sleep next to you just like I could if you were Max or Michael,_ he thought, mimicking her voice in his head. He made a face and considered just going back to his own room but hers really was warmer and it wouldn't be the first time he'd slept with her. He really had to do something before he did end up joining the monkhood. He got comfortable, leaving a blanket between him and the mattress, keeping something between them in an effort to avoid any completely embarrassing situations the next morning and sighed tiredly when she curled up next to him, already on her way back to dreamland. He turned his head to brush a kiss against her head and closed his eyes, hopping on that train right behind her.

She smiled a sleepy smile as the memories of the trip home infiltrated that hazy state between awake and asleep and she hoped it would lead her dreams in that direction. She snuggled up against Kyle's side and sighed contentedly as she surrendered fully to sleep and just as the night sounds around her began to blur into white noise she heard him whisper, "Merry Christmas, Isabel."


	60. Chapter 60

**Part 60**

"Liz."

"Hmm-mm," she mumbled and burrowed deeper into the covers.

"Liz, wake up." Max's lips curved up in a smile as he whispered against her ear. "C'mon." He shook her gently and chuckled when she shot a badly aimed elbow into his gut.

"Max, not now, I'm sleeping."

Her mumbling was escalating to grumbling and he couldn't help his amusement. "I'm not trying to wake you up at five in the morning so we can have sex. Not that I'm against the idea."

Liz rolled her eyes even as she was trying to force them open. She flopped over onto her back and tried to glare at him, but it was so dark she could hardly make out his features. "Max…" she complained, trailing off when the fuzzy edges began to fade and his words suddenly untangled and became clear. "Wait, why're you waking me up in the middle of the night?"

"You have to get up and get dressed."

"This's a first," she muttered. Usually when he woke her up like this – rare though the occasions were – it wasn't to put clothes on.

"We can take 'em back off in a little while," he said with a grin as he settled back to watch her, fingers laced behind his head.

"I don't know what you're up to but it'd better be worth getting outta bed this early." She stumbled around in the dark, still not awake enough to really have her bearings, but finally succeeding in pulling her clothes on. "Now what?"

"C'mon, I got you a gift for Christmas."

She froze in her tracks and turned to level a look at him, finding it easier to see now that her eyes had grown accustomed to the darkness. "You did not get me up to tell me Santa just stopped by."

"Nope." He grinned widely and held up the wrapped gift she hadn't noticed before. "Just his Chief Reindeer Wrangler." He shook the box but it didn't make a sound. "C'mon, you know you wanna know what it is."

"You know how much I love you, right?"

He smiled and nodded. "Of course."

"Um-hmm, and you know how much sleeping straight through the night in an actual bed means to me, right?"

"Yeah." His smile slipped when he realized every one of her calculated steps was bringing her closer to the bed and the look on her face said if she got her hands on him it wasn't gonna be in a way he'd welcome at the moment. He scrambled up from the bed just as she launched herself at him and he laughed at her indignant shout.

"Max Evans, if I get my hands on you…"

"You'll what?" he taunted. He knew it wouldn't be long before he was able to get a smile out of her. _He just had to stay alive long enough to get her to that point,_ he thought as he ducked the pillow she threw at him and shifted to the right when she made a move to get off of the bed again. He tried waving the box in her direction to get her attention.

"When did you even have time to go Christmas shopping?"

"Hey, Michael and I have been out a couple of times to pick things up."

That gave her pause. He and Michael had been out a few times since they'd been stranded there, but each time they'd either been to the mechanic's shop or to the hardware store. _Oh, no,_ she thought, recalling discussions with Maria and Isabel about Michael's inclination to shop for his girlfriend's gifts at the hardware store. _No,_ she consoled herself, _Max would never do that._ Unlike Michael, he actually had a romantic bone in his body… more than one really. But what if Michael had corrupted him? What if she had to find some odd, albeit useful gift wonderful?

Max looked down at the gift in his hands and then back at his wife, trying to figure out what was behind her speculative expression. It suddenly dawned on him and he laughed out loud. "You don't actually think I let Michael pick it out, do you?"

"What? No, of course not!"

"Elizabeth Evans, you're lying right through your teeth!" he accused, his voice laced with humor.

She held her hand in his direction, refusing to admit that he was right. "May I have it, please?"

"Huh-uh, no way, not now."

"Max…"

He rolled off of the bed, keeping the gift close. "C'mon, let's get ready."

Liz looked down at herself. "I'm already dressed."

"You can't go outside like that." He grabbed her hand and practically dragged her out of the bedroom and into the living room.

"It's not enough I have to be up? Now we have to go outside? If it was cold before it's gotta be even colder now."

"Keep complaining and I won't give you my present."

She sighed and gave up. He wasn't going to let it go until they'd done whatever crazy thing he'd come up with. She rolled her eyes and got ready, certain she could feel the satisfaction rolling off of him now that he'd gotten his way.

Fifteen minutes later she was certain she had been right about the temperature. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that it was even colder now than it had been before. Her eyes widened when they stopped at the edge of what appeared to be a field of ice that stretched as far as she could see. The wind gusted, sending an icy blast straight through them but as it settled and she looked up, her breath caught for a different reason.

"It's somethin' else, isn't it?" Max asked quietly. He held the small box out to her and held his breath, shielding her from the wind while she opened it. He could just imagine she was hoping and praying it wasn't something he was gonna teach her to use that might be useful at some point since they were running for their lives. He shoved the wrapping paper and ribbon in his coat pocket and gnawed on his bottom lip as she studied the box.

"Max…" her voice wavered as she ran her gloved fingertips over the picture on the front.

"It's not a telescope, but I figured it'll still get you closer to the stars."

"No, this's perfect," she assured him as she fumbled with the box in her haste to open it up. "Can you imagine trying to use a telescope in the van?"

"I can imagine Michael's suggestions about where we could put it," he said with a laugh, holding the box when she finally succeeded in liberating its contents. "I know it's not a ratchet set…"

She threw her arms around him and held on tightly as she whispered, "Thank you." She leaned back and looked up at him, smiling at the soft look in his eyes as he watched her. "I love you."

"I love you too," he said with a smile and kissed her before turning her loose so she could try them out.

Liz ran her hands over the binoculars, wanting to really touch them but knowing better in this cold. She carefully pulled the protective covers off of the lenses and dropped them in the box Max was holding before bringing the binoculars up to her eyes and scanning the sky. "Max, they're wonderful," she breathed.

For a moment she was taken back to a cold night on her rooftop balcony while Alex prepared to show off his slides from his month in Sweden. He'd called them sissies and after a few days of these arctic temperatures, she'd have to agree with him. Later they'd sat there in companionable silence watching the slides and occasionally commenting on them and he'd insisted that she had to travel. She smiled slightly and looked up at the sky and the millions of stars sparkling like diamonds against a velvet backdrop.

_It's not exactly what you meant, but I'm definitely traveling, Alex,_ she thought and wondered if there was any chance he knew she was speaking to him.

Should she have been paying more attention, she wondered. Should it have somehow sounded the alarms when she had teasingly asked if she knew him and he'd admitted that there were times he looked in the mirror and didn't recognize himself?

"_Forgive yourself, Liz, and let it go. I never blamed you."_

She turned her head when the wind blew slightly, but somehow it wasn't as cold as before, and she could've sworn she heard Alex speaking to her. She smiled and turned to her husband, urging him to look up at the stars while she pointed out constellations visible in the night sky. Even in the middle of nowhere he'd managed to find the perfect gift and she had to kick herself for thinking he would've ever been influenced by Michael's gift-giving ideas.

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Maria rolled over and stretched, wiggling her toes and enjoying the warmth and comfort that accompanied the move. The cooled bed sheets on Michael's side of the bed made her pause, but a heartbeat later she recognized the sounds of the water running in the shower and she relaxed back into the mattress. Childish joy spread through her at the realization that it was Christmas morning and she couldn't hold back the face-splitting grin that broke free at the thought that they were celebrating the most wondrous holiday of the year in such a magical place.

Before today that magical place had been waking at home, lying in bed as the scent of her mom's cooking wafted through the house. She closed her eyes and she could almost imagine walking down the hall in her PJs, the warmth surrounding her, and the mouthwatering scent of warm cinnamon beckoning her to come into the kitchen and indulge in the rolls Mom would be pulling out of the oven as she walked into the room.

Right now though they were safe, they were warm, they were together, and they were happy. Reality was waiting for them at the edge of the driveway and soon enough they would have to face it again, but for this brief moment in time she could pretend that this small corner of the world was theirs alone and that nothing could intrude on the peace they had found at Stevens' Sanctuary. She rolled over again, snagging his pillow and wrapping her arms around it as she burrowed her face into it, soaking up his scent.

She yawned and turned her head to scan the cabin, taking in every inch of it that she could see from her position. A fire was roaring in the fireplace, she could smell the coffee brewing, and a hazy light seemed to lend a ghostly appearance to everything in the room. She glanced over her shoulder and realized that the light peeking around the edges of the curtains indicated daylight had finally broken and she wondered what time it was.

In spite of her wonderings she didn't bother checking the time. She didn't want any constraints put on the day, didn't want to know how many hours they had left before their impending departure from this place. She just wanted to enjoy the day and made the decision to avoid consciously looking at the clock for the remainder of Christmas. Rolling out of bed she grabbed Michael's shirt and pulled it on before digging around to unearth the present she'd been hiding since their trip to the Wal-Mart.

She practically floated across the room, her spirits lifted by the feeling of Christmas, warmth, and love that permeated her entire being. She found the perfect spot for his present and carefully nestled it into the white tree skirt that sparkled with red, green, and silver glitter. It was wrapped simply; she had used a page from the Sunday comics that Julia had said she could have and then used colored construction paper and Maggie's assistance to create the tiny paper ring chain that wrapped around the gift in lieu of a ribbon.

She checked the water level at the base of the trunk and remembering Buckeye's instructions decided to add a bit. Finished with that she dried her hands and went back to the tree, leaning in to cradle one of the branches and draw in its fresh scent. She closed her eyes for a moment and smiled to herself before she released it and reached for the plug. She had just plugged the cord in and was stepping back to take in the tree's simple beauty when a pair of strong arms encircled her from behind and Michael kissed her neck.

"Merry Christmas."

He was warm and damp and it wasn't necessary to look at him to know he wasn't wearing anything but the towel he'd used to whisk away the water that shaking like a wet dog hadn't taken care of after getting out of the shower. "It is," she agreed with a smile and leaned back into him, shooting a smile at him over her shoulder. "And Merry Christmas to you too." She nodded at the tree. "Oh, and look! There's a present for you!"

Michael's eyes dropped to the bottom of the tree before lifting to meet her green eyes, easily reading the excitement and anticipation there. He wished he had that feeling, not for himself, because the holidays didn't mean that much to him, but he wished he had it for her. He dropped his arms from around her to adjust the towel and shot a grin at her. "I'm thinkin' clothes and coffee first."

"Ungh, Michael! You can't just pause the Christmas magic!"

"I'm Santa, watch me." He was grinning as he walked away, knowing it was driving her mad to be put on hold, even temporarily.

"But, it's Christmas morning and there's a present under the tree!" How could he possibly just walk away when there was a little something there calling his name?!

"You missed elf roll call, Snowflake. It's already afternoon and in case you haven't noticed, there's a draft that'd seriously put a damper on things for a guy sittin' around in a damp towel." Without bothering to comment any further he dropped the towel and reached for a pair of jeans, watching Maria as she gave a longsuffering sigh and padded over to fill his mug with hot coffee.

She was reaching for his mug when she noticed the brown paper lunch sack sitting next to it and blocking her own mug. "What's…" Her eyes moved over the sack that looked like it'd been wadded up and possibly run over a couple of times and she reached over to pick it up, her fingers tracing over the bright Christmas-green glitter that spelled out her name. She smiled at the spongy feel of the glue beneath the glitter and her eyes watered as she took in the stickers in the shape of Santa Clause and snowflakes that had been used as decoration. "The wrapping's so cute." She smiled and turned to look at him. "Is this for me?"

Michael rolled his eyes. _Sometimes she asked the dumbest questions!_ "No, it's for my other girlfriend named Maria," he deadpanned.

Maria smiled when she recognized her name written in Michael's handwriting, the print sharp and precise. There was nothing soft about the letters, nothing rounded or looped, just crisp, concise lines, a clear reflection of the man who had written them. Even something as pliable as glue had bent to his will and formed perfect lines. She shook her head and smiled. "You decorated it."

"Yeah, well, I had some help. There was a little elf helper who insisted on givin' me a hand otherwise it would've just been a plain ol' brown paper bag."

She rolled her eyes at him, knowing what he was saying without him having to say anything. "Can we open our presents now?" she asked with glee.

"I don't know, can we?"

"Michael!" she huffed, but couldn't stop the smile. "Why don't we start one of our new Christmas traditions right now? I'll take our presents over to our chairs and you can go and get the coffee. Oh, and Michael? Don't forget the half and half in mine."

He shook his head and chuckled, wordlessly conceding defeat. Before he had even finished filling their mugs she was already in her chair, gift in hand. He could hear the telltale rustle of the tissue paper and he turned his head slightly. "No cheating over there, Snowflake."

"Well, hurry up, Spaceboy, I can't wait much longer."

He smirked as he tapped the spoon against the edge of the Winnie the Pooh mug and then tossed it in the sink. "On my way, Snowflake." He picked the mugs up, taking a drink of his and nodding in satisfaction. He carried them over and set them down on the small table that resided between their chairs. "Oh, and before you get too excited and implode, I want you to remember that we're kinda in the middle of nowhere and there's the added inconvenience of limited income, so…"

"Like I care about that."

"Well, it's not a bumper but it's not pearl earrings either," he said in an effort to cover the feeling of awkwardness that came over him as he picked up the gift waiting for him in his chair.

"Okay, so our tradition's gonna be to see who can open their gift up the fastest," she said, picking up on his discomfort when he sat down and fiddled with an edge of the small package. "And no stealing my gift and keeping it away from me while you open yours."

"Any other terms?"

She paused, her eyes narrowed, mentally going over the so-called terms as if she was making sure she had covered everything. "No," she said finally.

Michael raised an eyebrow, trying to play it cool while fighting down the desire to be doing anything but this. "Say when."

She lifted the bag up, her fingers dancing over the red and green tissue paper peeking from the opening as she prepared for attack. "Okay… Ready… Set… WHEN!" And of course, being a professional Christmas gift opener, she had the tissue discarded in no time. The paper was still falling like confetti at midnight on New Years' Eve when Michael dropped his gift in his lap, waved his hand over it, and the paper simply fell away to reveal his gift.

"Done!"

Maria shot a look at him, one of those '_Oh, no, you didn't just do that, buddy'_ looks, and just a matter of seconds later she had successfully retrieved two bottles from their wrapping. She was on the verge of telling him a thing or two about cheating when she caught him looking at the Metallica CD with a genuine expression of surprise and pleasure and she swallowed the words. Instead, she uttered a soft, "Merry Christmas, Michael," before turning her attention back to her gifts.

"Ah, shampoo and conditioner… and what's this?" she asked with a knowing grin.

"Figured I'd stick with what was a hit last time. It's a real time saver," he said with a smirk and then shrugged. "And the bubble bath's supposed to make your skin soft." He nodded at the bottle. "At least that's what it says."

Maria laughed, the sound carefree and happy, and turned her gaze back to the label on the bottle. Both were made with organic ingredients; rich oils and spices, and she wondered if he knew how nice they really were as she opened one of the bottles to inhale the unusual but pleasing scent. "Michael, this's wonderful." She sniffed at the opening again. "Sweet and spicy." She screwed the cap back on and got up long enough to reseat herself in his lap.

His arms came around her, holding her close and enjoying the feel of her against him. "Like that? Probably oughta tell you I had some help picking it out. My little elf helper advised me to pick the one with the smell that reminded me of you."

She felt her body melt into him as she nuzzled his neck and inhaled the smell of his damp hair, the clean scent holding hints of smoke from the fireplace. "Thank you, Michael. All I wanted for Christmas was you."

Michael's arms tightened around her as he nodded. "Merry Christmas, Maria."

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Isabel tossed her hair back over her shoulder and tugged on the hem of her red sweater as she looked around the tiny kitchen. Miniscule was really the most fitting word, but regardless she would miss it when they left the next morning. She had known the impromptu blizzard would only buy them a small amount of time, but it would get them through Christmas and that suited her just fine.

She paused to listen to the occasional snort interspersed with the soft snoring coming from the other room and it brought a smile to her face. Kyle had to be exhausted after their roundtrip to Roswell last night. She didn't really understand how it worked but she was so grateful that it did and that he had taken the time to give her the best Christmas she could've hoped for. She'd be lying if she denied that she'd wanted to ask him to take her to see her parents, but as desperately as she'd wanted that she had seen the toll his new power took on him and she couldn't in good conscience ask him to put himself through that for her.

Her thoughts still on the visit with Mom and Dad, she moved to the freezer and pulled the door open, waving the palm of her hand over the bottom to reveal the tin the Sheriff had brought to them on his visit. In spite of the guys' protests, they had all agreed that they wouldn't look inside until it was time to indulge in whatever treat Maria's mom had lovingly sealed within the containers' walls. She pried the lid off and even frozen the scent of the contents rose to greet her.

_It was perfect,_ she thought as she moved to the counter and reached over to turn the oven on. She was smoothing a sheet of tin foil over a baking pan when her gaze caught the thin white lines on her third finger and she reached over to run her fingers across the naked skin where her rings had resided until a few short hours ago. She fisted her hand for a moment before flexing it a couple of times and then stretching her fingers out so she could really look at it.

Sometimes it felt like a lifetime had passed since she'd accepted Jesse's proposal, since she'd put his ring on and promised to be his wife. Ever since she was a little girl she'd wanted to someday have what her parents had; a strong, loving relationship filled with a million memories and held together by love, trust, understanding, and the desire to make it work. How had she expected to have that with Jesse? Trust, the very foundation of any good relationship, hadn't been there. On the surface it was there, but if she'd trusted him completely she would've ignored Max and Michael's directive that she not tell him the truth.

Had Max consulted either of them before he had spilled the entire story to Liz, who in turn, had told Maria? No. Had Michael consulted either of them before making the majority of his decisions? No. She had told the guys that she wanted to tell Jesse the truth, but if she were being completely honest with herself, what she had wanted was what everyone important in her life had: a real connection with their significant other, something that just couldn't exist if the truth wasn't laid out between them.

She knew now that Jesse wouldn't have handled the truth well. Oh, she didn't believe he would've turned her in or anything, but she didn't believe they would've made it very far either. She flexed her left hand again and shook her head. She hadn't realized just how much weight she had been carrying around by holding onto the rings. She hoped that Jesse would continue to move on and find someone who really deserved him. He was a good guy, a decent guy, but he wasn't wired to deal with the alien insanity. She tried to imagine him in their current situation, running from the FBI, living in the van with no sense of privacy, and not knowing what was coming at them next, and she just couldn't do it. He was a man who liked order in his life and all of the chaos that surrounded them would've made him miserable to a completely different degree than what the rest of them dealt with on a daily basis.

But he was moving on. She ran her thumb over the thin white strips on her ring finger. And now so was she. That thought brought a smile to her face and as she once again lost herself in the memory of seeing her parents, hugging them, and just soaking up their presence, she reached for the tin and began singing quietly to herself.

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Kyle yawned and stretched lazily before relaxing back into the mattress. It took a moment before he realized that he hadn't come into contact with the wall he'd slept against and he moved his limbs experimentally. The discovery that he was sprawled out in the center of the bed made him grin like a loon. Lots of room and it was all his. Oh, yeah, that was great! He rolled over and flopped on his belly, sinking into the fluffy pillows and drawing in Isabel's scent. Um-hmm, he could start his day like this with no complaint, he thought as he wrapped his arms around the pillow and let himself begin to doze off again.

He cringed at the intrusive sound of a metallic squeal of protest but just a moment later the racket was gone. The strong aroma of freshly brewed coffee teased his senses but it was something else that began to pull him from his comfortable sleep. Something that had him rolling over again as he reached for it, tried to identify it, and his brows pulled down in a frown as he lost it. The frown relaxed as the elusive sound came back into focus and he could picture Isabel in the kitchen, moving around and getting ready for the morning as her voice began to filter in to him again. She was humming something familiar that he couldn't quite put his finger on.

He brought his hands up to his face, giving it a rough rubdown before wiping his eyes. What was it? He knew it, he was sure of it. He started to hum along with her very quietly and after a few minutes the words came to him and he rolled his eyes. _Home for the Holidays._ _Of course,_ he thought with a slight smile. As the words of the song fell into place he found he could appreciate them a lot more than he ever had before. In the past it had just been one of those sappy Christmas songs that he switched off before the overly-sentimental lyrics could make him barf.

He blinked a few times in an effort to clear his blurry vision and he glanced around at his surroundings. His smiled widened when his gaze landed on the comforter from his room that had been added to the pile of blankets. It was probably the warmest, most comfortable night he'd had since they'd been there. He didn't let his thoughts go any further, slamming the door on them before he could read more into her caring gesture. It was cold and it was just an extra blanket to keep a friend warm, that's all there was to it.

He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that it didn't occur to him that her humming had suddenly fallen silent until he realized it had been replaced with an elf rendition of _Jingle Bells_. Isabel was many things, but an elf she wasn't, which could only mean one thing: they were about to have company. His half-awake brain registered the sound of the door opening and boots striking the floorboards even as his body fought to free him of the blankets that just moments before had been so comforting. Now they were like a prison, determined to keep him from escaping and thwarting his every attempt to kick them off.

Damn it, they were suddenly like some sort of living thing! He kicked at them and bit back a curse when his toes made direct contact with the wall. His eyes watered in response to the sharp pain, but there was nothing he could do to stop it. The fight continued and he could hear the voices as the girls greeted each other cheerfully. Another few moments and he took the upper hand, freeing himself from the confines of his prison and catapulting himself to his feet unsteadily. His toes burned where he had cracked them against the wall but he ignored them in favor of ducking into the bathroom.

His escape was nearly complete when he made the mistake of glancing up and locking gazes with Michael. He could see Max standing right there beside him but one speculative look was enough for him and he shot into the bathroom and shut the door, leaning back against it heavily and expelling the breath he hadn't realized he was holding as the lock clicked into place.

Michael was just being Michael. He consoled himself with that thought as he went about his morning routine. The guy watched everyone like a hawk. That was just his thing. He nodded to himself as he stared at the water running in the sink, rinsing the soap from his hands and creating a small mountain of bubbles that hid the drain. Okay, it was a little awkward that Michael had caught him ducking out like that, but he could avoid making it any worse. _Yeah,_ he thought as he cupped his hands and filled them with water so he could splash his face. Yeah, he could just play it cool and no one would be the wiser. He was Kyle Valenti after all. He knew how to play it cool and avoid drawing unwanted attention.

He relaxed fractionally. No problem, he had it all under control. Or so he thought until he lifted his head and caught his reflection in the mirror and his little fantasy was blown right out of the water. He had major bed-head going on and he was wearing his clothes from the day before. He snatched up a towel to dry his hands and face, jumping when a heavy knock sounded on the door.

"Yo, Valenti, you wanna move it along? The Christmas Nazi's holdin' breakfast up until you grace the place with your presence."

Kyle grabbed Isabel's comb and started to run it through his hair. "Hold your reindeer, Santa, I'm on my way."

"Uh-huh, it's takin' you an awful long time in there. Speaking of movin' things along… maybe you need to start incorporating prunes into your diet."

"And maybe I could suggest where you could stick a pair of reindeer antlers," he growled when he jerked the door open and shouldered his way past the other guy.

"Y'know, constipation can really screw with your mood," he continued, shooting a glance at the bed as he followed Kyle out of the bedroom and into the main room of the cabin. He stopped when his friend suddenly whirled around and thumped his fist right into the center of his chest.

"I guess you'd know all about that then, wouldn't you?" He turned on his heel and walked into the kitchen area, gratefully accepting the mug of coffee Isabel held out to him while shooting a reproachful look at Michael. He smirked when the look was enough to cool the hybrid's heels for a while and it gave him a momentary reprieve. By no means did he think he was off the hook, but at least for now there wouldn't be any awkward questions about where he had spent the night.

The girls were gathered around the stove and they turned to look at him, smiling and coming over to give him a hug and wish him a Merry Christmas. He returned the sentiment and then shifted his gaze to look at Isabel, lifting the mug and giving her a slight nod. He tried not to think about what her smile did to him when she gave him the real thing and instead focused on the stove when he caught another scent, something sweet that overrode the strong aroma of hot coffee.

"It smells so good, doesn't it?" Liz asked, not missing the looks being exchanged between him and Isabel, but not commenting on them either.

"And so perfect for Christmas morning," Maria enthused as she and Liz grabbed his arms and led him over to the stove. If they kept things light Michael and Max would keep their thoughts to themselves and let that earlier moment go until later when they could have one of their 'guy talks' rather than call him on what was going on right there in front of all of them. As far as she was concerned it wasn't any of their business and if Kyle and Isabel didn't want to share she saw no reason to pry into their… whatever. "Mom makes these cinnamon rolls every Christmas morning and I'm so glad that's what was in the tin your dad brought with him."

"Yeah, it's funny, huh? He didn't even know what he was getting when he grabbed it."

"So, are we gonna talk about how great they are or actually eat them?" Michael asked, his tone laced with impatience.

Max just laughed and shook his head as he took a seat at the little table and watched the others. He hadn't missed that little moment as Kyle made his escape either, but there was something different about Isabel this morning; something he couldn't put his finger on, but whatever it was he knew it was a good thing. There was a sort of freedom in her movements, as though she had shed some heavy burden, and if Kyle was in some way responsible for that then that was fine with him.

He looked up and smiled at his wife when she placed a plate with two cinnamon rolls on it before him and as he lifted it up and his senses were assaulted by the sticky sweet scent he was suddenly back in the Crashdown Café. He had never gone there for the food, sweet or not, but he knew he'd eaten the cinnamon rolls on more than one occasion. He preferred the ones his own mom made, but in this moment he was sure she'd forgive him for thinking they were possibly the best thing he'd eaten since leaving home.

The easy conversation ebbed and flowed as the gang indulged in the homemade goodness of warm gooey cinnamon rolls from home, most of them liberally dashing the treats with hot sauce. The atmosphere was relaxed and as Michael observed his friends, his family, he considered bringing up a few things that he felt they needed to settle before they got back on the road. His eyes shifted to his girlfriend when she launched into a story of Christmas when she was eight years old. Before long Liz was chiming in to add her memories and even Isabel shared a story or two, and he let it go for now.

There would be time enough for that later. For this moment the world outside didn't exist. They were safely ensconced in a cabin in the middle of nowhere, celebrating Christmas together and just soaking up this rare moment of peace. He gave Maria a small smile when she slipped her hand into his and he nodded, letting her know he would wait even as he wondered how she had known what he was thinking.

His attention shifted to Isabel when she and Max started talking over each other in an attempt to tell some story about one of their many childhood Christmases. Her features were animated and her happiness drew a like reaction from her brother and he saw Max completely relax as he got into the storytelling. She gestured a lot as she talked and it wasn't until her hands dropped to wrap around her coffee mug that he was able to pinpoint what it was that was different about her today.

_She wasn't wearing her rings._

His speculative gaze slid over to Kyle who was busy stuffing his face and looking like a squirrel storing nuts for the winter. He wondered if they were doing it. Not that he really cared one way or the other, he was just curious. The fact that she had taken her rings off was a pretty big deal. In all the time since they'd been gone from Roswell he'd never see her without them and now suddenly Kyle was sleeping in her bed and she wasn't wearing her rings. _Uh-huh, definitely worth wondering about,_ he mused.

He popped the last bite of his cinnamon roll in his mouth – the center because everyone knew it was the best part – and chewed slowly as his gaze shifted to the lone roll sitting on the pan on the stovetop. It was crying out for someone to take notice of it and he was prepared to alleviate its loneliness when he noticed that someone else was moving in on his target.

Kyle and Michael met up at the stove, facing off over the last cinnamon roll.

"My cabin, my roll."

"My girlfriend's mom made it, my roll."

Isabel rolled her eyes, not even bothering to look at them as she called over her shoulder, "Just split it down the middle and each of you take half." She shook her head as she looked at Maria and Liz. "I swear, sometimes it's like dealing with children."

Max snorted at that description. "You're surprised why?" 

Liz rolled her eyes at him before looking at her sister-in-law. "I think it's one of those things that's definitely ingrained in the male gender."

"You want that last roll?" Kyle's eyes gleamed with challenge. "Take the Candy Castle."

Michael straightened up. "You cheated last time!"

"I didn't cheat," he denied. "I simply took the most direct route."

"Cheater!"

Kyle just snorted and shrugged. "Hey, if you don't think you can beat me we'll just do as Isabel suggested and you can have half of the roll." He smirked. "Or you can play me for it and you can _maybe _have the whole thing."

"Set up the board, Valenti," he growled. He turned to look at Maria when Kyle nodded and backed away, his eyes locked on the roll to make sure it didn't move from the pan. "Watch this roll until I come back for it."

She bit back a grin and saluted, laughing out loud when he shot a glare at her before following Kyle over to the battlefield of Candy Land. It only took a matter of minutes before the guys were completely absorbed in the game and neither of them noticed Max standing over them until he cleared his throat and pointed out the error of Michael's current move.

"Don't correct my moves when you're not even playing. If you…" His eyes narrowed when he looked up in time to see Max pop the last bite of a cinnamon roll in his mouth and lick his fingers clean.

"That better not have been the victory roll," Kyle growled as he pushed himself up on his knees to see the stovetop.

Max shrugged. "It was getting cold and they're best when they're hot."

"It's like watching someone eating while standing in front of the bear cage at the zoo," Liz mumbled.

"Yeah, a bear cage with no door," Maria agreed.

"This could get ugly," Isabel said, watching as the opponents facing off across the board suddenly exchanged a look.

The girls winced when the Candy Land board went flying as Michael and Kyle launched themselves at Max. They watched the boys wrestle for a few minutes, clueless as to what it was going to achieve and finally deciding there was no understanding why guys did some of the things they did.

Isabel stood and looked at the girls. "More coffee?"

Maria and Liz both nodded and shook their heads at the guys before turning their attention back to their conversation about past Christmases. Between the three of them they had plenty of stories to share and as the afternoon wore on and the guys finally collapsed on the furniture in the living area to watch TV, the girls continued to reminisce and bond over holiday memories even as they created new ones they would look back on in years to come.

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The fire was crackling in the wood-burning stove, throwing off heat and lending a cozy ambience to the room. Edward was settled in his chair, enjoying the comfort provided by a piece of furniture that was nearly as old as Brian. He watched his wife for a few minutes as she made small talk with his mother and aunt, grateful for her ability to so easily do something that was so foreign and unnatural for him.

He tolerated visits from Aunt Connie with a lot more ease than he did visits from his mother, but when they came together his aunt had a way of insinuating her opinion about the strained relationship between mother and son and he couldn't say he appreciated it. Some things simply couldn't be mended but unfortunately that didn't stop her from trying. He knew she meant well; he just wished she wouldn't meddle.

His fingers unconsciously tapped out a rhythm against the side of his beer bottle, keeping time with the tune Eddie was playing on his new electric guitar. His youngest boy couldn't decide whether to stick with the electric or acoustic guitar and he continued switching between them. The kids had made out like little bandits, but as much of a hassle as it was to spend hours assembling and wrapping gifts every year, this was what made it all worthwhile. Sitting back and watching his kids enjoy their hard-earned presents.

His gaze shifted to Brian. His oldest and of course, the coolest if his opinion of himself was to be believed, had reacted to his own presents with the exuberance and enthusiasm of a child and it had brought tears to Julia's eyes. As soon as the boy had realized he wasn't acting like Mr. Cool he'd tried his best to cover, but he'd given his mother more happiness in those few minutes than he would ever know. He had donned the personalized Red Wings jersey he'd been given and now he was busy channel surfing. The new hockey skates he'd received were close by and every once in a while he'd reach out and his fingers would ghost over the protected blades.

He was contemplating tickets for an early April game at "The Joe" in Detroit when his thoughts were interrupted by his baby girl. Maggie was tugging on his hand, her wide blue eyes focused on him as she directed her question at him for what had to be the fourth or fifth time in the past two minutes or so.

"Daddy, is it time for me an' Puppy to wait in the kitchen with Miss Cindy for Michael an' Maria?"

"I'm sure you'll hear them knock when they get here, sweetie," Julia said with a smile.

"But Mama…" she trailed off as she shifted to resituate the yellow Labrador puppy and Miss Cindy.

"That's two of the young people staying with you?" Candace asked, the question directed at her son.

Edward sighed quietly. Even the attempt at making simple conversation grated on his nerves but he forced a smile and nodded. It was times like these when he really missed Julia's parents. He wasn't the type to enjoy big crowds, but having her parents around at Christmas had given him a buffer between him and his mother.

"Granma Candy," Maggie giggled, "you 'member I told you all 'bout Michael an' Maria."

"Oh, that's right, dear, you did, didn't you?" Candace smiled at her granddaughter's openness, regretting that she didn't that level of ease with her son and probably never would.

Edward relaxed back into his chair when his youngest picked up the conversation with the ease her mother approached such situations with. _Well, he might not have Julia's parents around this year, but he did have six guests who would provide a nice buffer,_ he thought. His mind wandered to the next day, the much anticipated – if only for fathers – day after Christmas when things would fall back into a normal, quieter routine. Fishing trips with the boys and meals of leftovers he'd make that week, giving Julia a chance to rest a bit in the holiday aftermath. He took a drink of his beer, absentmindedly listening to Maggie go on and on about her Captain of the Guard and almost missing it when a sharp knock sounded on the kitchen door. He sat up straighter and glanced at his wife.

"I'll get that."

In spite of his longer legs and his desire to leave the room, Maggie managed to beat him to the door, her speed no doubt fueled by her excitement at introducing her new puppy to their guests, Michael in particular. She pulled the door open and before Michael had so much as gotten his foot over the threshold he had been attacked by a bundle of golden fur.

Puppy, as he would be known until a suitable name could be bestowed upon him, barked and growled at Michael. The puppy reared up on his back legs, his stocky body twisting slightly before his front paws landed on the floor at Michael's feet while his rump stuck up in the air. His tail snapped back and forth like an out of control windshield wiper as he growled and snapped at a shoestring.

"No, Puppy," Maggie scolded joyfully as she scooped him up off of the floor, "this's Michael an' he knows Santa."

But Puppy didn't seem to care about Michael's elevated status, making his opinion known when he leaned forward and nipped at the man's coat.

"Smart dog," Kyle muttered as he shoved his way past Michael, nudging him far enough out of the way that the rest of them could get inside. The mouthwatering scent of too many good things to name greeted them, carried on the warm air and welcoming them inside.

Michael ignored him in favor of crouching down to Maggie's level, soaking up her warmth and love when she launched herself into his arms for a hug. He gave Puppy a good rub and a scratch behind the ears when his wiggles of protest finally made his mistress move back. Between the jingle bells on the dog's red collar and the ones decorating the elf outfit she was wearing again it was hard to tell which of them was making the most noise. "Bet he's gonna be a good guard dog."

"Yeah, like you'd know a good guard dog if you ever saw one."

He just smirked at the grumbled words and shot a look at Kyle over his shoulder. "I'm thinkin' maybe we should get Isabel one. Somethin' that'd protect her at night, keep the boogeyman away."

If it weren't for the fact that Maggie was right in plain view Kyle would've flipped him off. But, as it was, they had a young audience so it'd have to wait. Instead, he turned and let his gaze wander over the veritable feast laid out on every available surface. The extra leaves had been added extending the tables' length and it was draped with a festive Christmas tablecloth and decorated with candles and some kind of greenery with flowers at its center. To the side another smaller table had been set up in a similar manner.

Max was helping Liz out of her coat when his gaze shifted to Isabel where she stood, taking it all in with a level of enjoyment that hadn't been there before. Oh, she'd enjoyed taking the helm for Christmas on the Lake and of course, overseeing the Christmas Eve festivities, but now there was a peacefulness in her that had been missing. He watched her reach out to Kyle, her hand resting briefly on his shoulder as she directed his attention to the Christmas-themed dinnerware and the mistletoe-shaped napkin rings that encircled the silverware next to each place setting. He had a feeling the guy couldn't care less about any of that, but his body language spoke volumes when he shifted slightly into her space at the contact.

"Isn't he just the most adorable puppy," Maria enthused as she joined her boyfriend and Maggie.

Puppy's nose traced a path along Maggie's arm, inhaling deeply every inch or so, snuffling loudly when he reached the bend in her elbow and burying his nose there. She giggled and hugged Puppy tighter for a moment before she stepped back, giving Michael room to rid himself of his winter gear.

"Looks like that letter to Santa paid off," he said as he leaned over to untie his boots.

Maggie's eyes widened as she nodded. "Santa left Puppy with Aunt Connie and Granma Candy. There was a box with shiny green paper and a big silver bow an' can you guess what was inside?"

"Hmm…" he pretended to think about it for a minute, smiling to himself at the impatient jingle of little elf feet. "Oh, I know." He glanced at her and winked. "Pooper scooper."

She laughed and shook her head with a long, drawn-out, "Noooo."

"You'd think Santa would've thought of that." He pursed his lips and tried again. "Oh, I know. I've got it this time. Flea collar."

"No!" she laughed even louder.

"I give up. What'd Santa leave in that big box with shiny green paper and a big silver bow?"

"Puppy food an' a note from Santa."

He stood and toed his boots off, placing them on the rug beneath the line of hooks where the others had already hung their winter gear and placed their boots, wondering how they'd managed to move so fast. He was straightening up when he heard footsteps and he turned to see Julia come into the kitchen. She was dressed in black jeans and a red sweater that really showed off the string of pearls hanging around her neck. He paid little attention to Isabel's comment about how lovely the woman looked with her new pearls, but as his searching gaze moved to Maria, seeking his own less recent gift of pearl earrings, he caught sight of Edward's chest puffing up with pride at a well chosen gift and he could relate to that feeling. Okay, technically he hadn't picked them out, but he was the one who had given them to her.

"Dinner's all ready," Julia said, her cheeks still showing off the slight blush that had graced them in response to the memory of Edward gifting her with the pearls. "We're just gonna let the turkey rest before carving it up. Why don't you come into the living room for a few minutes?"

"Why's the turkey resting?" Michael muttered to Maria. The stupid thing couldn't be tired. It was dead and roasted.

Maggie giggled and pressed Miss Cindy into the crook of his arm. "You're so funny, Michael."

"Oh, yeah," Kyle said with a roll of his eyes, "he's a real riot."

She shot an odd look at Kyle before looking back up at Michael, smiling when she saw him shift Miss Cindy deeper into the crook of his arm. "C'mon, I can interduce you to Granma Candy an' Aunt Connie."

Maria slid her hand into his and rubbed his arm when she felt the tension thrumming through him in spite of the smile he gave his little admirer. She knew he wouldn't like going in and meeting more new people, knew how much he'd rather be back at the cabin going over their plan to leave the next morning, and overseeing everyone's packing to make sure they were ready on time. But while she had no doubt he was mentally doing all of that, he was making this effort for his friends, his family, and one very special little girl.

She knew how much he appreciated everything the Stevens family had done for them, but this was seriously pushing him out of his comfort zone. Just spending the day amongst themselves, with only the six of them, could sometimes push the limits of his tolerance for gatherings of any kind, so add in their hosts and now a grandmother and an aunt and he was ready to rush the closest exit. She had a feeling he'd settle a bit during dinner as long as the attention wasn't focused on him, so she hoped Julia was right and it wouldn't be but a few minutes before they sat down at the tables that were dressed for the feast.

Michael caught the smile on his girlfriend's face, felt her fingers moving on his arm and keeping time with the music coming from the living room. He doubted she even knew she was doing it. Music spoke to her the way paint and charcoal called to an artist. It was ingrained in her soul and one way or another it demanded an outlet so that it could simply be. It was some Christmas song that she no doubt knew by heart but the moment they stepped into the room and the little bundle of raging hormones noticed her, the tune quickly switched to something a little more suited for a boy Eddie's age.

He could appreciate the music choice as the boy settled into _Nothing Else Matters_ by Metallica and he almost laughed at the shocked and confused look on the face of the older woman standing next to him. _Has to be Grandma,_ he thought with an internal snort. She looked down at what was probably sheet music, frowning in consternation as she studied it. He could even appreciate the fact that the kid obviously had good taste in the opposite sex, but that was as far as his appreciation of the boy's attentions toward Maria went.

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Kyle watched his friends as they sat around the table, more animated than usual as they talked and laughed. It was good to see them all so relaxed. Even Michael was more relaxed than normal, which was fairly unusual, but given the atmosphere and their friends' moods, it made sense. He knew him well enough to see the underlying signs of impatience that he was keeping a lid on in an effort to prolong their joy for the duration of the evening, but he was also ready to go. He could only imagine how foreign this was to his friend, but it spoke volumes that he was willing to endure it for the rest of them. Maria mostly, he conceded, but he was fine with that.

Michael had looked ready to bolt not long after they'd arrived, his discomfort notched up several levels as he was hit with introductions to the kids' grandmother and aunt, quickly followed by the presentation of filled stockings complete with new scarves and hats, and right after that had been the gift of luggage that had been brought by for them earlier by Big Dave. Apparently Mrs. Tony had gotten wind of what they'd done for the community and she'd insisted the man give them anything they might need. Thanks to Edward, their luggage situation – or the lack thereof, had become known to the storekeeper and he'd seen an opportunity to unload it.

Oh, the girls had expressed their appreciation for the fine gifts and he could only commend the ability of the fairer sex to gush over receiving a well-intentioned gift that they wouldn't give to their worst enemy. The luggage itself was certainly appreciated, it was just the fact that it looked like something he'd seen Grandpa hauling around as he followed Grandma into the house on one of their visits when he was little. He had a feeling the luggage would be getting a makeover the second they pulled out of the driveway.

His gaze shifted to Maria, not missing the way she reached over to place her hand on Michael's arm. The touches calmed him and seemed to soothe her at the same time. It was amazing to him how far they had come from the unstable relationship they'd had in the beginning. Just a few short weeks ago he wouldn't have seen this coming. It had been unspoken that they were together but not _together._ There was an ease between them now, an acceptance that hadn't been there before and it looked good on them.

He turned his head to look at Max and Liz, chuckling when he saw them talking quietly, their heads close together. She blushed lightly at something he said and pushed her shoulder into his chest but there was a smile on their faces. It was good to see that things between them were finally settling into something resembling normal. When things were right with the two of them the rest of them had to suffer with the overly-sentimental, romantic, and toothache-inducing sweetness that suffused their relationship, but even he would admit that he'd rather deal with that than the painful silences and distance that had been there for so long.

He was pulled out of his thoughts when Julia came over to the table with a large baking dish that she placed before Edward. He sighed quietly at the familiar scent of cheesy potatoes complete with crumpled bacon on top wafted past him as she peeled the foil cover off. She patted her husband's shoulder and pressed a kiss to the top of his head before backing away to retrieve one last dish. The scent was as enticing as it was nauseating and he had to swallow down the urge to excuse himself from the table.

He didn't hate Christmas… exactly. But there were other holidays that he'd much rather celebrate. New Years' Eve for one, now there was a holiday he could get behind. Kick back on the couch and watch _Rudolph's Shiny New Year_ with a beautiful blonde hybrid. Or the Fourth of July with beer and fireworks out on the lake. It might not be the most ambitious of ideas, but right now he'd take either of them over the feast laid out before him.

He was pulled out of his musings when Maggie started chattering to Michael and he forced himself to listen, hoping it would shove down the memories that were trying to surface once again.

"When Big Dave came over to bring your big present Mrs. Dayna and Michelle came too an' she brought her new puppy. He's black and she named him Coal." The little girl's eyes twinkled and she giggled as she continued. "He's Puppy's brother an' Santa brought him for Michelle. Oh, an' guess why she named him Coal, Michael!"

As always, he noticed that any time the guy interacted with the little girl he relaxed to a certain degree. Michael stopped with a serving spoon piled high with homemade mashed potatoes halfway between his plate and the bowl so he could look at her. He had to applaud anyone who could actually get the guy to so much as pause when he was fixing a plate or eating.

Michael shot a small smile at Maria before looking over at Maggie where she sat at the smaller table with her brothers in spite of her numerous attempts to convince her mother she should be allowed to sit at the big table with the grownups. "Just a guess, but is it because he's the same color as the coal Santa leaves in the stockings of kids who aren't on the nice list?"

"Guessing you'd know all about that," Kyle muttered under his breath and then jerked back when the comment earned him a kick under the table that would leave a bruise for certain.

Kyle rolled his eyes when Maggie grinned and nodded, oblivious to the fact that her knowledgeable hero had just kicked the hell out of him. A very un-Santa-like behavior he was sure. He was leaning over to rub his leg as unobtrusively as possible when Julia returned with one last dish that she placed in the empty spot in front of Michael.

_Whoever said revenge was a dish best served cold couldn't have been more wrong,_ he thought when he saw the sickly green tint that momentarily passed across Michael's features at the sight of green bean casserole. Personally he hated it, but based on the look on his good friend's face, his dislike of the stuff went so much deeper. It didn't matter how anyone cooked it or how they dressed it up, to him it was always gonna look like something a camel with a bad sinus infection coughed up. "Wow, Julia, I have to admit I'm not a big fan of that particular casserole, but you have just made Michael's Christmas! He was just saying earlier that he was really gonna miss that this year and here you've gone and made it. Will you look at that, buddy?" His eyebrows did a little forehead dance as he nodded, enjoying the rare opportunity to have the upper hand.

"Julia, you've done enough work, woman," Edward said as he reached for her hand and gave it a small tug. "Sit down and let's eat."

Julia allowed him to urge her into her seat. "Say grace and afterwards I'll just grab the rolls so they're nice and hot, right out of the oven."

In spite of their silent war, Kyle and Michael exchanged a look as everyone around the table bowed their heads respectfully while Edward said grace. He could remember his grandma always insisting that his grandpa said grace before meals, but it hadn't really been practice in his own home unless his grandparents had been visiting. He knew without asking that it had never been a part of Michael's upbringing so it was just one more foreign concept to endure as they celebrated Christmas with the Stevens family.

Afterwards while Julia went to get the rolls Edward stood to carve the turkey. He shifted things to make room, sliding the dish of cheesy potatoes over to rest directly in front of Kyle's plate and he reached for the platter holding the large turkey. He nodded when Brian showed up at his elbow with his plate, reminding him that he wanted one of the legs. It wasn't long before Eddie showed up on his other side insisting that he wanted the other one. He quickly placed the legs on the boys' plates and sent them back to their table, uninterested in listening to them bicker over which one could eat an entire turkey leg the fastest. He glanced at Kyle and used the carving knife to motion to the potatoes. "Go ahead and serve yourself."

"I think I'll just have mashed potatoes and gravy," Kyle said with a shake of his head. He wasn't sure he could stomach the others, not today.

Edward nodded and went back to carving. "Dark or white?"

"Ham, I'll just have ham."

"Figured you for a turkey man." He glanced up from the turkey to smile at his guest, turning deftly to slide a few slivers of thinly cut white meat onto Maggie's plate when she appeared next to him.

It was stupid how a conversation about turkey and cheesy potatoes was turning his stomach into a knotted mess. "Would you mind if I just stepped outside for a minute?" He tugged at his collar.

Isabel turned to look at him. "Kyle?"

He shook his head. "I'm fine, just a little warm." He rested a hand on her shoulder, unaware of the fine tremors racing through his frame. "I'll be back in just a few minutes." Before anyone could stop him or call him back he grabbed his coat and stepped out onto the porch. He rubbed his hands together and moved to the furthest end so that he was out of view, closing his eyes and lowering his head so that his mouth and nose were buried in the upturned collar of his coat so he could breathe in deeply.

"You've got to let this go."

His head turned sharply and he stared in wonder. He couldn't stop his hand from reaching out and trying to touch his fallen friend. "I knew she could see you," he whispered hoarsely and jerked his hand back when it moved right through Alex.

"You didn't do anything wrong, Kyle."

"I carried you and put you in that car!" he hissed. "You're dead because of…" He'd never said it out loud, but somewhere deep in the recesses of his mind, part of him had always wondered if he'd been strong enough to resist her mind games if Alex could've been saved.

"Because of you?" Alex shook his head. "Not because of you. I was dead before you ever even came into the picture that night. What Tess did to you is unforgiveable."

"What she did to me?" he asked incredulously. "Alex, I'm not the one who's dead!"

"No, you're not. You had some good memories that she was a part of and I know her betrayal tainted everything associated with her, but don't let it take your enjoyment of certain things away from you. You have every right to be in there eating the things you like and enjoying the company of your family and friends. If you let her take that away from you she wins and if there's one thing you can do for me, it's enjoy life's little pleasures without letting her memory suck the joy out of them just because she was there." He smiled sadly. "That and take care of Isabel."

"I can only promise to try as far as the first thing."

"You're doing a good job with the second," Alex assured him. "You complement each other well and in ways you haven't even dreamed of." He chuckled when Kyle's surprised gaze flew up to meet his. "No, I haven't intruded on your dreams and believe me when I tell you I'll steer clear of any inclinations I should ever have to do so." He reached out to place his hand on his friend's shoulder, turning him back towards the door. "Go on, they're worried about you and it's your Christmas too."

Kyle glanced down at the hand resting on his shoulder, amazed when he could feel Alex's grip for a moment. "How is it you're not resentful, Alex?"

He shrugged. "You're all alive and safe. It's not ideal, it's not what any of you ever saw in your futures," he chuckled and amended, "well, Michael may have seen something similar. The point is you're safe and you're heading into a future that while uncertain has so much potential you can't even imagine it yet. You're good about giving your friends advice, but sometimes you have to take it too."

"You wouldn't lie to me, would you?" he asked cautiously.

"No. I was gone before you put me in the car, Kyle. I was too far gone at that point for Max to bring me back. Nothing that happened that night rests on your shoulders. The blame belongs to Tess and nothing will ever change that. They don't blame you for anything that happened that night." He shook his head. "I don't, they don't, and most importantly Isabel doesn't. Now go on before you end up having Christmas dinner out here on the porch."

Kyle chuckled and took a couple of steps before he turned to say something else but the spot where Alex had stood moments before was empty. He shoved his hands deeper into his coat pockets and stared out into the darkness. He buried his nose in his collar again and drew a deep shuddering breath as he closed his eyes and whispered a grateful thank you into the cold Christmas night.

_Alex wasn't dead because of him._

He turned and went back inside, waving a hand to let Isabel know he was alright when she started to rise from her chair. Dinner was well underway and he quickly shed his outerwear and slipped back into his own chair, smiling when he saw that his plate had been covered with tin foil to keep the food warm. He glanced at Isabel and nodded. "Thanks," he whispered. He looked at the cheesy potatoes that had been put on his plate as he picked up his fork and after a moment he speared a bite and lifted it. _This one's for you, Alex._ He was expecting the potatoes to taste familiar, but while they were cheesy potatoes with bacon that was where their similarity to those he had always favored ended.

He dug into his meal with a renewed interest and he shrugged when he caught the look Michael shot in his direction. It was one of those looks that expressed concern and annoyance all rolled into one. It was an expressly Michael look, but it settled in response to his indication that he was okay. The others managed to keep the conversation rolling around the table and the focus quickly turned to different topics and left him to eat with a feeling of peace that he hadn't felt in a while.


	61. Chapter 61

**Part 61**

Michael glanced up from slathering butter on what would be his last roll… _well, maybe just one more,_ he thought. Julia had brought another pan of hot rolls out and there was no point letting them go to waste after she'd gone to all that effort. He piled turkey on and then doused it with hot sauce before squeezing the sides together and taking a big bite.

"You do like hot sauce, don't you?" Candace asked.

He shrugged in response to the question posed by the kids' grandmother, considering his answer while he chewed.

"It's the only way he can taste anything," Max answered for him. "His taste buds are practically non-existent."

"I knew a man who suffered from that affliction once," she said with a slight smile at the memory. "He couldn't taste a thing." She winked at the girls. "But he never complained about the food I put on the table."

Michael watched Edward unobtrusively, noting the way his hands clenched around his utensils as his mother spoke fondly of some man in her past. He had a feeling the guy had probably been one in a long line and her son didn't view those memories with the same affection. She played the role of the loving mother and doting grandmother to the hilt, but her features held a harshness that spoke of a life lived fast and hard. It was the kind of life that left its mark on others and it was apparent that Edward bore that mark.

"Daddy."

Edward turned his head to the side when his little girl wrapped her hands around his wrist and tugged. "More turkey?" he asked with a smile. He had no idea where she put it, but Maggie could pack it away if it was something she really liked.

"No, Granma Candy has a gift for you."

Michael didn't miss the tension or the way it notched up at the name the kids all used for his mother. He was only listening with half an ear so he didn't catch what the first part of the gift was but he glanced at the older woman when she explained that the second part of her gift was that she would babysit the kids so that Edward and Julia could spend their 15th anniversary alone on New Years'. She was obviously pleased with her gift and in his opinion, a little too pushy about it, but hey, that was just one more reason to avoid all the holiday bull.

In spite of her attempts to make up for whatever had happened in their past he could feel Edward's lack of trust and respect for her. She was trying too hard and rather than achieving the desired results she was only pushing him further away. She couldn't see it though. He wondered why people thought they could make up for years of neglect and abuse with presents or behavior changes. Well, he didn't know the details, but he was sure he was in the right vicinity.

He missed Edward's response but when the man of the house stood and started to collect the dishes he got up and grabbed a handful that he carried over to the sink. He listened as Julia graciously expressed their thanks for the gift, giving her husband the opportunity to make his escape and while Edward worked on filling the sink with soapy water he went back for the next load. He rested his hand on Maria's shoulder when she started to get up, shaking his head slightly when she shot a questioning look at him.

Maria rubbed his arm when he reached past her to stack the dishes, the methodical placement of each dish speaking to his familiarity with bussing tables. She had noticed the tension that had been present in Edward throughout the evening and it had only increased each time his mother tried to pull him into a conversation. It was obvious he tried to be civil for the sake of his children but it was taking a toll on him.

Michael finished clearing the table and picked up a dishtowel, moving around to Edward's right side to dry the dishes as they were rinsed and placed in the drying rack. They worked in silence for a while, Edward lost in his thoughts while Michael was busy trying to push the memories back. It didn't matter how hard he tried to hold it at bay, being surrounded by the tension that arose from Grandma Candy's seemingly well-intentioned gift, by her very presence, and the taut expression on Edward's face he eventually lost the battle and the memory of a long-ago Christmas rose to the surface of his mind.

At eight years old he had still held out hope, had hung onto any little crumb Hank tossed his way in his more lucid moments. The occasional meal the man would make that he wanted so badly to believe meant Hank cared about him in some small way even if he didn't say the words. He had to force his hand to relax when it clenched tightly around the plate he was drying. At that age the social workers had still made the rounds, checking up on his home situation, and allowing him to think that he mattered.

_It had been Christmas Eve 1991. He had been alone in the trailer, standing at one of the dirty windows and peering out at one of the neighboring trailers that had been overly decorated, but to his childish, wondrous gaze, it had seemed like something right out of a storybook. He had stood at the window for a while almost every night while he was waiting for Hank to come home, his little boy's heart aching for the love and acceptance he witnessed whenever Mr. Saunders from next door returned from work and Artie would run out the front door to welcome him home._

_Artie was seven years old with red hair and freckles, skinny as a rail, and wore glasses that were always slipping down his nose. His dad worked in the oilfields and he always looked tired, but that had never stopped him from greeting his son with a look on his face that said he was happy to see him. Artie was one of the kids everyone at school made fun of. He was an easy target and he didn't know how to stand up for himself. When the other kids started picking on him he just went off to a secluded corner on the playground and sat down with his arms wrapped around his thin frame._

_Michael had caught a couple of the boys beating him up one time because he wouldn't give them more money after they'd taken everything he had for lunch and he'd taken them on. Artie had been crying and as soon as the boys had been occupied with the fight he'd run off. He'd ended up getting sent home for a couple of days for fighting and Hank had been so mad at him he had thrown him in his room and hadn't given him anything to eat until the next day. He hadn't understood why Hank was mad at him. He had been helping someone else; someone smaller and weaker who had been getting kicked around by a couple of bullies. He didn't care what Artie looked like or that he was a dork, but if someone could love him why couldn't Hank care about him just a little? _

_He had been pulled out of his musings when the headlights swept across the window and he turned his head to look at the station wagon pulling up in front of the trailer. It was Hank and he wasn't alone. He turned and ran from the room, hiding in the hallway and peering around the doorway just as the front door opened. He never knew what kind of mood the man was in and it was best to wait and see before making a nuisance of himself._

_His eyebrows had lifted when a woman came inside and a moment later Hank had appeared with a small Christmas tree in one hand and a box with a few presents inside tucked under the other. He had crept out of his hiding place when his foster dad called him, for once calling him by his name rather than the despised nickname he had pinned on him not long after he'd been placed with Hank._

_His little heart had nearly burst with happiness when Hank had not only introduced him using his given name, but called him his son. He could tell that Hank had been drinking but he hadn't been completely trashed, probably because he was trying to impress the woman he had brought home. He hadn't cared what the reason was though. While Hank had made dinner he'd gently pawed through the cardboard box that had come inside with the woman. She'd only been introduced as Wendy and she'd spent most of her time over in the kitchen with Hank, but every once in a while she would give him a little wave and smile in his direction._

_They'd sat around the rickety little breakfast table and feasted on dinner and Michael had enjoyed every bite of it. He didn't care that the ham and the vegetables all came out of cans, the mashed potatoes came out of a box, or that the rolls had come out of a frozen package. He'd been happy to clear the table afterwards, carrying the dishes over to the counter by the sink and swallowing with difficulty when he'd tipped them too far to one side as he lifted them and a few of the utensils fell to the floor with a clatter. He had expected anger when Hank had come up behind him, but he'd just leaned over to collect the forks and reached over Michael's shoulder to drop them in the sink._

"_Don't worry 'bout it." He stretched up to open the cabinet over the sink and pulled out a bottle before moving to the side and rooting around in another cabinet to find a couple of glasses. "You wash those up while me an' the lady have a few drinks to celebrate the holiday."_

Michael's chest tightened and he couldn't do anything to stop the rush of adrenaline that flooded through his body as the memory took the dark, albeit expected turn. The night had turned out like others had before and many more would in the years to come. The glasses had been filled over and over again, each celebratory drink increasing the alcohol-induced haze and fueling Hank's temper when Wendy had said something to set him off.

_What had started out so promising had ended with the two of them in a screaming match that had been accompanied by crushed ornaments and broken gifts. It was only later after Wendy had fled the trailer, her mascara running and her cheek already beginning to bruise, after Hank had passed out in his recliner, that he had dared to creep out of his hiding place and back into the living room._

_He had gathered up the shattered pieces of a couple of the ornaments along with one of the broken toys and placed them all carefully into a shoebox. He picked it up and turned to go back to his room, freezing when Hank shifted and muttered, his glazed-over eyes opening for a moment and locking on him. As soon as the man slouched down further and slipped back into his alcoholic stupor he hurried back to his room and closed the door. He settled down at one end of the small closet, feeling a little safer once he was ensconced in the tiny space. He had taken to hiding there with his pillow and blanket a few months back and it had become his refuge at times like this._

_He had spent hours painstakingly piecing the two ornaments back together and his child's eyes hadn't seen the small pieces that were still missing, the blobs of glue that had seeped out as he pressed the pieces together, or the way some of them had overlapped to lend a Frankenstein look to them. He had carefully laid them back in the box and started trying to put the toy back together. It was a fire engine, the kind that had the ladder with the bucket, but the bucket had been separated from the ladder and the ladder was broken in half. One of the tires was bent and the little plastic covers over the lights on top of the engine had been shattered._

_He had glued the ladder and then ran scotch tape around it just to make sure it was secure. He had been tired by the time he was finished with his repairs and he had curled up with his back pressed against the wall so he could see Hank if he came after him. The fire engine had been held securely against his body, his little fingers stroking over the broken dreams that the damaged toy symbolized._

The muscles in his hands began to cramp, the motion unconsciously mirroring Edward's own tightly fisted hand that held the silverware as he placed it in the hot soapy dishwater. He glanced over his shoulder as the sounds of chair legs scraping against the floor caught his attention and he watched Grandma Candace as she spoke to her grandchildren in warm hushed tones as the family left the table for the living room.

He made another attempt to force his mind to shut down, despising these little trips down the broken pothole-filled yellow brick road that led to his past. Regardless of his best efforts one more memory slipped past his defenses; the final nail in the coffin that was his relationship with Hank Whitmore. It had been bad enough to live through that hell, to face the humiliation day after day, but when Max and Isabel had walked right into the middle of it they had served as an unexpected catalyst.

They hadn't grown up in a situation like his. They had parents that wanted them, that loved them… they had parents that would've done anything to protect them. He'd had Hank. It wasn't perfect by any means, but it was all that he'd known growing up. They had come in thinking they could tell Hank off, take him home to their parents, and everything would be okay. But all it had done was blow up in their faces. It was the equivalent of finding a wild animal and bringing it home, expecting it to know how to behave and interact with domesticated animals. He knew they had meant well, but they'd had no way of understanding his situation because it was something so completely foreign to them.

Hank had come out right behind him while he'd been trying to get Max and Isabel to leave and he'd immediately locked his sights on her. He'd tried to intervene and he'd felt everything in him recoil when Hank raised his hand, prepared to backhand him. His foster dad's behavior had been disgusting and Isabel had reacted by throwing Hank's drink all over him and then threatening him if he ever touched him again. It had infuriated his foster dad and he'd gone for his gun, pointing it at them. He didn't know if Hank would've pulled the trigger; he was a coward at heart, but alcohol tended to infuse even the greatest cowards with false courage.

Max had thought he could diffuse the situation by telling him to take it easy, that they were leaving. He didn't know Hank the way Michael did, and he had seen the way it only further incensed the man. He could handle the abuse, the constant putdowns, and even the neglect, but in that moment his fear for their safety had pushed aside his own sense of self-preservation and he had reacted without thinking. In all of his years with Hank, all of the many times the man had come at him, he'd always been careful to hide his powers, to choke them down for fear he would not only reveal himself, but that he might actually hurt Hank. Or worse.

People assumed that just because someone was abused they automatically hated their abuser, that given the opportunity they would gladly see them dead by their hand or anyone else's. People who assumed that generally weren't the ones who had ever suffered abuse of that nature. It wasn't that black and white. There was such a confusing mixture of emotions involved. He'd read somewhere once that there was a thin line between love and hate, and whoever had said that had hit the nail on the head. He didn't love Hank, didn't even like him, but there was a time when he'd so desperately craved love and acceptance from the man who had been responsible for him.

But that night… the night someone had finally dared to cross the threshold into that filthy trailer and enter his private hell, every ounce of hope that had ever resided in him that Hank cared for him even in the smallest increment had been shattered. He'd shown his hand, revealed himself for who he was, disarming Hank before he could hurt Max and Isabel, and he'd seen the look of fear and disgust in his eyes as he'd called him a freak. Spit the word out as if it could contain the full weight of his revulsion for the boy, the _thing_ he'd been stuck with for years.

Yeah, he'd felt for a long time that he was nothing more to Hank than a monthly check, and part of that was a way to protect himself so that if and when the truth came out it wouldn't hurt so badly. But it had. It had hurt worse than he'd ever imagined it could. With that one word Hank had driven home the truth of his feelings for him and it had shattered something inside of him with a finality he had never expected.

Michael turned his head when Aunt Connie came into the kitchen and began putting away the dishes he'd been drying and setting aside. He relinquished the roasting pan when she reached for it and she moved to Edward's other side to put it in the cabinet where it belonged. She lingered for a moment as she straightened her spine and focused her attention on her nephew.

"Edward," she said, her voice low.

He cut her off with a sharp shake of his head. "Don't."

"She's put so much into this gift for the two of you. She's been working two jobs to save for it."

Michael shot a sideways glance at Edward, noting the tic that was worsening in his jaw. _Yeah, that was his cue to exit stage left,_ he thought as he began to fold the dishtowel so he could place it on the counter.

"No, you stay. We'll have the dishes done in half the time."

He cleared his throat and nodded as he reached for a pie plate and started to dry it. He started to set it aside with the rest of the dishes he'd dried when Aunt Connie suddenly appeared next to him. He held the plate out to her when she stood there expectantly but she shook her head.

"They go in the cabinet over by Miss Cindy's chair." She waited until the young man had gathered up the matching plates and taken his leave before she turned to her nephew again. "Edward."

Edward stared at the utensils that were in danger of having the silver stripped right off of them as he scrubbed at food particles that weren't there. He wanted to tell his mother to take her gift and shove it but out deference for his children's relationship with her he hadn't. His mother was in total denial and the way she referred to their damaging past as _her dark time_ was hard to deal with in the face of her new life as devoted mother and grandmother. "How do you want me to react?" he bit out, his back teeth grinding together. "She announces her gift to the entire family because she knows I can't exactly say no in front of my kids without looking like an asshole and hurting Julia. It's nothing more than a setup." He shook his head. "Stop pushing," he muttered under his breath.

Michael took his time putting the plates away and making his way back over to his side of the sink that was thankfully unoccupied now. He focused his attention on the wet dishes that had piled up in his brief absence, but it was hard to miss the woman's demeanor that had quickly shifted from calm to tense.

"She's been clean and sober for ten years, Edward. Do you have any idea what kind of strength it takes to get through a single day let alone ten long years?" She inhaled slowly. "Look, I know what she did and it was wrong, but she's here now."

It was impossible to miss Edward's flinch in response to his aunt's words.

"Wrong?" Edward growled, a hard edge to his voice. "No, it wasn't wrong, it was criminal."

Michael was doing some quick mental math, taking in Edward's age along with how many years his mother had been sober. She obviously hadn't gotten sober until well after he and Julia had gotten married. He shook his head slightly. Yeah, there was no making up for that. None at all. But, it was that fine line again.

Aunt Connie's face flushed with the heat of frustration as she turned to face her nephew. "The war left your father seriously damaged and it just about killed your mother when he left. You didn't have a choice back then, but you do now. It's time to grow up here, Edward. We can't keep blaming our parents for our misery as we get older. It's Christmas; it's time to let go of this mess. If you can't forgive her then don't. Decide to let it go for you, Julia, and the kids."

_Yeah, so much easier said than done, lady,_ Michael thought. It was easy to throw that advice in someone's face when you hadn't been in their shoes. And really, what did it matter what the reason was? There was no excuse for turning to alcohol or drugs because your life sucked. Very few people could honestly say their life was their own; there were family and friends, husbands and wives, damn it, there were kids who didn't deserve it when that person chose to lose themselves in a bottle. No, there was no excuse for it. If there was one thing he'd learned over the past couple of years it was that you didn't run from those obligations. It didn't matter if it was alcohol, drugs, or running away. Running was running and the people who loved you and cared about you deserved a hell of a lot better than that.

He watched her leave the room, her stride filled with purpose, leaving her nephew standing there, his fisted hand just about bending the fork he held in half. He must have noticed what he was doing because he expelled a loud breath and dropped the fork as he leaned forward to let the water out of the sink. He watched the soap bubbles swirl around as the water emptied down the drain and after a moment he straightened up and rested his big hands on the edge of the sink.

"Could you forgive it?"

Michael paused, hiding his surprise at the question.

Beside him Edward could feel the younger man tense up and he knew at least some of his suspicions about him had been on target. He didn't look at him as Michael set the last dish down, folding the dishtowel in half, and placing it over the oven handle to dry.

His movements were methodical as he completed his task, but his mind had gone back to the little boy who had never felt anyone on Earth wanted him. He inhaled deeply, holding it for a moment before slowly releasing it. "No one ever asked." He shoved his hands in his pockets and disappeared through the doorway to go and find Maria.

He stood there for several minutes as he contemplated those four little words. _"No one ever asked."_ Michael had said so much with so little. He had harbored a lot of resentment towards his mother over the years. Resentment, anger, disappointment, they had all continued to fester over time and all of her attempts to make things right only made it worse.

He was glad she'd finally gotten her act together and sobered up, but it did little to make up for all the times she'd missed games or other events, all the times he'd had to clean her up and put her to bed, or all the times he'd run into some guy he'd never met before coming out of her bedroom in the mornings when he was on his way to grab a bowl of cereal or a piece of toast on his way to school. Could anything ever make up for that?

He had children of his own and God forbid anything should ever happen to Julia, but if it did he swore he'd do anything it took to hold it together for them. They deserved that from him. His father had been a different man when he'd come home from the war and he knew it had torn his mother up when his father left, but what right had that given her to basically abandon him? To put responsibilities on his young shoulders that never should've been his to carry?

There wasn't anything that could be done to change the past. There wasn't any amount of gifts or behavior changes that could ever make up for what had been done. So much of his childhood was wrapped up in the chaotic aftermath of his father's leaving. His mother's response to that abandonment had been to do whatever she could to help her forget and half the time it had allowed her to forget about him too.

"Daddy?"

He looked down when his littlest one latched onto his fingers and he automatically tightened his grip on her hand when she leaned back with all of her weight, trusting him to not let her fall. His heart swelled at the simple gesture and he vowed yet again to try his damnedest to never do anything to break that trust.

"Can Puppy come outta his crate now?"

They had crated the puppy when dinnertime had rolled around and he could imagine the little bundle of energy was ready to rejoin his new playmate. "Why don't you go get him and let's take him out for a few minutes?"

"Can Michael come with me, Daddy? You an' Granma Candy can be together for a little while."

She had no idea what her words did to him. "You can ask him and if he says yes then he can go with you."

Maggie straightened up and tugged on his hand, launching herself into his arms when he crouched down beside her. "Thank you, Daddy." She kissed his stubbled cheek and hugged his neck tightly. "I love you."

"I love you too, Princess," he murmured, savoring her openness and hoping against hope that she never lost it. He released her after a few moments, knowing how eager she was to get to Puppy, and he remained there for a minute, just thinking about things.

By the time he made it into the living room Michael had been coerced into taking a walk outside and Maria was watching him with a look that Edward didn't have a name for, but he recognized it all the same. He'd seen it on Julia's face often enough when he did something that just touched something inside of her. He watched the two of them leave the room, his little girl's hand swallowed up by Michael's big paw and the young man listening attentively as Maggie went on and on about Puppy.

He shook his head and crossed the room to offer a mug of hot coffee to his mother. He shrugged at the look of surprise on her face when she looked at him. "You take it black, right?" He didn't wait for an answer. Too many years of making her coffee and trying to sober her up had imprinted her coffee preference on his brain. He settled on the couch at his wife's side and she accepted the mug he'd brought for her with a soft smile that said what she wouldn't verbalize. "It's just coffee," he mumbled.

Julia set her mug on a coaster on the end table and took his hand, lifting it to press a kiss to his knuckles as she met his uncomfortable gaze. "I know," she whispered and lowered their hands to rest on her thigh. "I know."

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The space next to the kitchen door was piled up with the vintage luggage and the gifts they had received from the Stevens family and the only thing left now was to bid them goodnight. They had vaguely discussed their plans to leave out early the next morning and as much as Michael would've preferred to leave before the sun rose so he could avoid the goodbye scene that was sure to present itself if they didn't, the girls had managed to sideswipe his plans.

"Well, I suppose we'd best be on our way," Aunt Connie said as she made the rounds, gathering up anything she and her sister needed to take with them. Candace didn't move and she couldn't say she had expected her to.

Across the room Grandma Candace was watching her grandchildren as they interacted with her son's visitors. Her little granddaughter was completely enamored with the young man who seemed to be itching to make his escape from the house. The boys had been more accepting of the fact that their guests would be taking their leave the next day, but Maggie had been quieter than normal and it was obvious that she was saddened by the realization that they would soon be gone.

Michael turned his head when a small hand landed on his arm, gently but insistently tugging on his sleeve. Maggie stood there, watching him, and in spite of all her protests that she wasn't sleepy he could see the truth in the blue eyes that were struggling to appear awake and alert.

"Do you really gotta go tomorrow?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah, I'm afraid we do." He covered her hand. "Our friend's waitin' for us and we've kept him waitin' long enough, don't you think?"

She gnawed on her bottom lip for a moment before nodding slowly. Her eyes suddenly widened and she clambered up to sit in his lap. "Can't your friend just come here?"

He'd heard the girls talking one day recently, discussing how much they wished their story about going to visit a friend was true, how much they wished that friend was Alex. Somewhere along the way he'd named the nonexistent friend in their cover story after their fallen friend and it was easy to think he was waiting for them. He wished he was. "I wish he could, Maggie, but that's just not possible."

"Are you gonna come back an' see me?"

Maria reached over to rub his arm when he swallowed with difficulty. They had no way of knowing if they'd ever have the opportunity to visit the Stevens' family again and he didn't want to make a promise he didn't know he could keep. A promise was something sacred to him, it was a matter of giving his word, and he put a lot of stock in that.

"I'll tell you what," he said finally, "if we ever get the chance to come by here again I can promise you we will."

She nodded and rested her head on his shoulder. "Would you an' Maria read me a story before you go?"

"Yeah, I think we can do that," he said after glancing up to check with her parents.

She got up and went to say her goodbyes to her grandmother and aunt before picking Puppy up from where he was sleeping in Daddy's lap and making her way upstairs to get ready for bed. As soon as she was ready she hollered down the stairs and Julia smiled at them, nodding for the couple to go ahead.

"We'll be up to tuck her in once you've finished the story."

Kyle stood up and stretched. "Well, while you guys are sending the little one over the rainbow into dreamland I'm gonna go grab the van because I know how you are and I'll be the one who ends up hauling this stuff down to the cabins like a pack mule."

Michael shrugged, not bothering to deny it. "Good idea."

"Maggie's very attached to him," Candace mused as the young couple disappeared up the stairs.

"He's deserving of it," Edward said as he reached for his cup and got to his feet. "Think I'm gonna get a refill." He glanced at his wife in question, nodding when she shook her head. He shuffled into the kitchen and took his time refreshing his coffee. He was grateful when it was finally time for his mother and aunt to leave and he said his goodnights and dutifully stood at the door while they carefully made their way up the driveway and out onto the old highway.

Julia leaned against his side and looked up at him, rubbing his arm when she could still feel the tension in him even though it was lessening now that the taillights were out of sight. "C'mon, that story should be finished by now. Let's go tuck Maggie in."

They paused in the doorway to their daughter's room a few minutes later, watching as Maggie stretched up to wrap her arms around Michael's neck. There was a little pout on her face as she quietly spoke up. "I'm gonna miss you, Michael." She pressed her nose into his neck as he brought his arms around her. "An' Snowflake too."

Julia could see the discomfort on Michael's face as he tried to find the words to express what he was feeling and drew a blank. She nudged her husband and they stepped into Maggie's room. "Did you have a good Christmas, Maggie?" she asked, giving Michael time to compose himself.

"It was the best ever, Mama!" she answered excitedly. She looked at Michael and Maria, smiling widely. "Maybe for next Christmas Michael, Snowflake, Candycane, an' the Reindeer Wrangler can all come back with Kyle an' Isabel."

"That'd be great," Michael said with a small smile as he pulled Maria close with an arm around her shoulders. "But just remember that we can't make any promises about that."

Julia redirected her daughter's attention to the puppy sleeping on the bed. "Have you decided on a name for your puppy yet?" The boys had been very helpful in making suggestions but each one had been worse than the one before and Maggie had been quick to tell them so.

She shook her head. "I want a real special name for him."

Edward moved around the bed to tuck his little girl in. "Time for you to go to sleep. You can think on it more in the mornin'." He tucked her in and kissed her forehead. "Sleep tight and don't let the dragons bite."

That drew a quiet snort from Michael. "Princess Maggie, looks like you've gotta dragon guard dog there," he said and nodded at the puppy. "Did you know that one of the greatest dragon slayers ever was named George?"

Maria looked up at him, unable to hold back the smile. "Um, Michael, did you read that somewhere?"

He shrugged and smiled at her. "Read about St. George and the dragon in my European History class."

"C'mon, you didn't take European History."

"Did too."

She snuggled into his side. "Then quote me a page."

He chuckled and looked at Maggie with a wink. "Yeah, well, I did, but it doesn't matter 'cause Santa told me the story again."

"Yeah, I'll just bet he did," she laughed under her breath.

Maggie giggled. "Really?" She looked at her puppy when he opened his eyes in response to the noise she had made and he yawned widely before snuggling down again. "Do you like the name George?"

He lifted his head and his tail started to thump against the mattress when his young mistress spoke to him. She laughed happily and leaned over to pick him up, holding him out to look at him and ducking her head when he stretched to lick her cheek. "Hi, George."

Julia smiled as Edward put his arm around her. "Alright, time for sleep. Say goodnight, Maggie."

"G'night, Maggie." Michael leaned over to give her a hug and then gave the newly named George a pat on his way out with Maria. "Okay, George, you're on Princess Guard duty now."

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Kyle rubbed his hands together as he sat in the cold drivers' seat, his legs bouncing up and down as he waited for the engine to warm up. He cupped his hands and covered his mouth, blowing on them and immediately shoved them up under his thighs when his heated breath only ended up chilling them. He had been happy to escape the house and all of the holiday festivities when Michael had started to make it known that he was ready to head out. He hadn't said or done anything overt, but it was apparent that he'd endured just about as much as he was going to.

He leaned his head back against the headrest and closed his eyes as pinched the bridge of his nose, holding the pressure there for a moment. Michael had his own reasons for being ready to leave Christmas behind and he could respect that. Personally he would be glad to see the day end and take all the old holiday ghosts with it. It helped to know that he hadn't had a hand in Alex's death, but the truth of it was that Tess had managed to suck the joy out of quite a few of his memories.

Maybe they were tainted beyond repair, but as Alex had suggested earlier, perhaps as time passed he would be able to replace them with other memories. He smiled slightly as he thought about some of their finer moments as they turned Isabel's vision for Christmas on the Lake into a reality. There was no denying he'd gotten plenty of enjoyment out of El Presidente and El Capitan's roles and costume predicaments and he knew those memories were already filed away, just waiting for the appropriate moment to be useful blackmail material.

He reached out to hold his hands over the vents, rolling his eyes at the lukewarm air it was finally starting to kick out. He sighed and rested his hand on the gearshift, deciding he didn't need the air to be hot before driving the van up to the main house to load their gifts up. It would be nice but there was no point putting off the inevitable. The air would continue to get hotter the longer the engine ran and there probably wasn't much point cutting the engine once he got up to the house anyway.

Before he could drop the gearshift down into drive the passengers' side door was pulled open and he jumped, startled. He nearly pressed on the horn to warn the others but in a split second he recognized Max and he forced himself to relax.

"Why don't you warn people instead of sneaking up on them?" he growled.

Max quirked an eyebrow and shook his head. "What were you gonna do? Honk me to death?" he asked dryly.

Kyle ignored the question and faced the windshield again. "There some reason you decided to come out here and interrupt my meditation?"

He leaned forward and flicked the hula girl on the dashboard, sending her into a frenzied dance. "That's classy. Bet sugar muffin finds a way to get rid of it."

"I'll bet it stays right where it's at." He tipped his head to one side. "I kinda like it."

Max snorted. "You would."

"So…?" He made a rolling motion with his hand after several minutes had passed in silence. "You wanna tell me what you're doin' out here?"

"Before he could answer the back door slid open and Michael clambered inside and dropped down into one of the seats. He leaned over to shove the door closed and then stretched his arms out along the back of the seat as he lifted his hands up slightly. "There a reason it takes two of you to come get the van?"

"El Presidente apparently had somethin' he needed to get off his chest."

Max shrugged when they both looked at him. "I know what you did last night."

That wasn't the answer he'd been expecting. "Say what?"

Michael kicked the back of the drivers' seat. "You don't really think anyone missed your near perfect exit from Isabel's bed this morning, do you?"

There was no point defending his actions. That would just make him look even guiltier than he already looked. "I don't really see how it's anyone else's business."

"You sleep with her last night?"

Kyle shifted around and hooked his arm around the headrest as he met Michael's challenging gaze head-on. "You got somethin' to say, just say it."

"She's not wearin' her wedding rings anymore." He shrugged one shoulder. "Just not somethin' I see her doin' lightly."

"I know what you did last night," Max repeated softly.

"Yeah, well, why don't you enlighten me," he growled. "Obviously you think she can do better so why don't you just – "

"Little sensitive tonight," Michael muttered under his breath and waved Max on when he shot a look at him over his shoulder.

"You took her home to see Mom and Dad." He shook his head when Kyle's gaze shot to him. "She hasn't said a word, but as much joy as this Christmas on the Lake nightmare's given her, she was more at peace today than she has been in I don't even know how long. All I'm sayin' is that you make her happy and I don't really care how you do it, all that matters is that you do."

"Wait," Michael leaned forward, his elbows braced on the front seats as his gaze bounced back and forth, "so you didn't sleep with her?"

"Not that it's any of your business, like I already said," Kyle reiterated, "but we slept together in the fact that we were both sleeping in the same bed."

"Huh." He sat back and shrugged.

"So anyway, that's all I wanted to say," Max said and settled back into his own seat.

"Yeah, well, she deserved somethin' for Christmas too."

A soft smile settled over his face as he thought about his sister and how happy the visit with their parents had made her. "Yeah, she did." His expression became somber as he thought about what he'd give for Liz to see her parents, something he didn't even know if it would be possible since they didn't know where they were now. He glanced down when a hand settled on his shoulder for just a moment before Kyle drew it back.

"We'll find a way." Kyle shrugged. "We always figure somethin' out, right?"

Michael was still trying to make sense of Kyle's statement of fact. "She get you somethin'?"

_Yeah,_ Kyle thought, _I got to see her happy. And finally free._ Rather than answer though he shifted into drive and started to maneuver up the driveway to the house.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The cabin was quiet with the exception of the muted sounds of the shower. Liz was sitting on the couch in the living room, dressed in her pajamas, and waiting for her husband to finish what had become his evening routine so they could go to bed. Life on the run hadn't allowed for things like daily showers that they had all taken for granted just a few months ago. She stared at the suitcases lying open beside her, checking, double checking, and then triple checking to make sure everything that could be packed had been packed.

Her orderly brain had already organized the layout of the packing job, starting with the things they wouldn't need right away and working her way up. Last to be packed was the small bag containing essential items they would need to get them through the first few days if they couldn't get to the suitcases.

Her mom did things like that, organized and orderly. House chores had been scheduled, wash day was always on Wednesdays; everything had its time and place. She smiled slightly at that thought. That must be where her obsessive compulsive organization skills came from. _Although she could just imagine what Mr. and Mrs. Sugar Muffin's suitcases would look like,_ she thought with a chuckle. Sugar Muffin… how in the world was Kyle still walking around after coming up with that little endearment?

She did one last visual sweep of their suitcases before turning to the side to reach over on the coffee table for the final item. She lifted the new journal and opened it up, hearing the quiet crackles that indicated its lack of use. She brought it up to her nose and inhaled the scent of the leather cover and the crisp white pages, closing her eyes as she mentally wrote a letter to her parents, sharing her Christmas with them and introducing her to the family that had taken them in and opened their home and hearts to them.

She opened her eyes to look around the room, feeling her heart swell as she thought about what a blessing their unexpected breakdown had been. This place, the Stevens family, and the time it had given them to put the pieces of their relationships back together so that they could begin to mend. It had all helped to ease some of the pain she felt at not being able to be with her own parents over the holidays.

She was ready, she realized. She was finally at a place where opening her heart and putting her thoughts down on paper again felt right. She stretched her hand out to pick up the pen she had brushed aside when she retrieved the journal and she froze for the space of a moment as an impressionistic flash passed through her field of vision.

"Liz?" Max stood in the doorway, his hand paused in the act of towel-drying his hair when he saw the way she was sitting. "Hey, the packing can wait until morning. We've got that nice warm bed just waiting for us in the next room."

She straightened up and placed the journal and pen in the smaller bag. "Yeah, you're right," she said with a small smile. "I'm just about done."

His gaze was scrutinizing as he watched her, familiar with the look on her face. He dropped the towel on the back of the couch as he leaned over to cup her cheek. "Liz, what happened?"

She wasn't even sure herself what had happened. "I'm not really sure." She brushed her hair back behind her ear. "It came and went so quickly."

"Did you happen to touch the surface of the table?" He motioned to one corner. "Right about there?"

"Yeah, I was…" Her eyes widened for a moment. "That's where you hid the envelope the Sheriff gave you."

"C'mon, let's go to bed." He placed a kiss on her forehead and pulled her up and around the couch, wrapping his arm around her shoulder with the intention of taking her into the bedroom.

"Max…" She shot a pointed glance at the wet towel he had left lying on the back of the couch.

He grinned and grabbed it before continuing with his original route. As soon as he had her in bed and she was busy searching for that perfect spot to settle in for the night he dropped the towel around his waist and changed into a pair of boxers. He was about to climb into bed when Liz cleared her throat and he rolled his eyes as he backed away and grabbed both towels off of the floor. He backtracked to the bathroom and flung them up to hang over the shower rod and then hurried back to bed.

She settled into his arms and nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck. She could feel him patiently waiting, intentionally not pressing her for answers. "It wasn't like the other times, Max," she said finally. "It wasn't just what I saw. It was what I felt too."

His arm around her tightened for a moment before it relaxed again. "What'd you see?"

She pulled away and sat up, her eyes scanning the darkened room as she attempted to gather her thoughts into some semblance of order. She brought her knees up and looped her arms around them, resting her chin on them for a moment before turning to brace her cheek on them as she looked at her husband. "I saw a house." She shook her head. "Brick, I think, two stories at least with a big front porch. But there were feelings that came with it." She sighed after a moment and shook her head again. "I don't really know how to describe it."

He held his hand out and waited for her to take it so he could pull her down next to him. He didn't know what she'd felt but if there had been danger or some sort of threat he was certain it would've been more pronounced. It always had been before. "It'll sort itself out, Liz."

Liz lifted her hand to rest against his cheek, her thumb brushing over his clean-shaven skin. "You're right," she whispered and leaned into him at his urging.

Their lips met in a gentle kiss, the sort of soft exploring kiss that could go on forever and she sighed when his arms came around her and he rolled her onto her back. He came to rest against her without breaking the kiss and he made a silent wish for the night to last.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Maria was lounging back in the tub, surrounded by the fragrant bubbles, her eyes closed as she listened to the racket Michael made as he made repeated trips out to the van. She smiled to herself when she heard a piece of luggage knock against something, deciding it was probably the front door when a muttered curse followed right on the heels of the first sound. He was busy getting everything ready so when morning came there would be nothing to delay their departure. As much as she would like to put it off she knew the time had come to say their goodbyes and begin their journey into the unknown again.

She felt better prepared to face the future now that things between her and Michael were no longer in limbo. That stability gave her the courage to face the uncertainty of what was to come, secure in the knowledge that while her place in the world at large may be unknown, her place with Michael was more certain than it had ever been. She was at peace with her situation. It wasn't perfect but as far as she was concerned perfection was overrated anyway.

A quiet knock brought her out of her thoughts and she opened her eyes just in time to see the door being nudged open. Michael was leaning in the doorframe and she drank in his appearance; the thermal shirt she had grown very fond of during their stay, worn blue jeans, and bare feet. Her heart turned over when he smiled at her and motioned to the cabinet beneath the sink.

"Any signs of Mickey?"

"Thankfully no, and don't think I don't know you've been leaving cheese for him," she said as she gripped the sides of the tub to glance at the cabinet for a moment before looking up at him. Heat rushed through her as her eyes moved over him and her legs shifted through the scented water, increasing that warmth.

"Figured that was better than him starvin' to death. Ever smelled a dead mouse?"

She made a face. "Ungh, Michael, that's disgusting!"

He laughed and pushed away from the doorframe, hunkering down next to the tub. "Looks like you're enjoying the tub."

Her eyes locked on his and her lips lifted in a teasing smile. "Yes, I am."

Michael snorted with a grin and reached out to touch the hand closest to him, his fingertips gliding across her flesh and coming to rest over her knuckles. "Guess they weren't lyin' when they said it was supposed to make your skin soft," he said, jerking his chin towards the bottle she had carefully balanced on the rim of the tub by the wall. "Feels pretty soft to me."

She released a quiet breath, pursing her lips at the sensation of his light touch that seemed to travel through her body with all the subtlety of a lightning strike. "Mmm-hmm," she murmured.

His gaze darkened even more at the sound of her sensually lazy response. He reached behind him to snag the fluffy turquoise towel from the hook on the wall and his eyes never left hers as he stood and shook it open, waiting for her to stand and step into his arms.

It was easy for Maria to give him the answer to his silent invitation, rising from the water and taking the single step into his embrace. She leaned into him and her lips paused, just a hairs breadth from his, as she whispered his name.

His kiss was slow and gentle yet driven by need. He shifted and picked her up, cradling her against him as he carried her to the bed he'd had the foresight to turn down already. He continued to kiss her, his lips traversing every inch of skin he could reach as he lay her down on the bed. He released her long enough to divest himself of his clothes and then settled over her, his weight braced on his elbows. He groaned softly, the sound almost nonexistent, enjoying the feeling of being cradled by her body. He stared into her eyes, easily losing himself in the emerald pools as he blindly reached up to touch her hair. "You smell good," he murmured as he inhaled her scent.

She gave him a slow grin and took his hand that was playing with her hair. "I smell like food, Michael," she whispered hoarsely.

He dropped his head, his eyes savoring the sight of her full lips. "Not just food, M'ria," he brushed her lips with his, tasting them and humming contentedly. "Dessert."

She would've rolled her eyes but before the thought could connect to the motion, his lips were on hers and she forgot all about it. Their kisses were a mixture of soft and needy, their touches a combination of exploration and possession, and when their need was greatest and his every stroke demanded an answer, her hips granted that reply. Her nails dug into his shoulders, his name a whisper on her lips as she came apart beneath him, and afterwards they came to rest in each other's arms.

As she lay there listening to the sound of his pounding heart slowing to its normal rhythm, she closed her eyes and ran her thumb over his. Their hands were held together, their fingers loosely intertwined, and she was listening to his breathing evening out when she realized something was missing. She unlaced their fingers and drew his hand closer, her eyes searching for the ring he wore on his right ring finger. Her fingertips brushed over the white band of skin there for a moment before she called his name, rousing him from sleep's embrace. She glanced up at him when he grunted out a half-asleep response.

"Where's your ring?"

"Dunno, must've left it by the sink after dinner…"

The words were mumbled at best, slurred at worst, and to be honest, didn't make much sense. He hadn't been washing dishes so why would he have taken it off? She would've questioned him further but his breath caught in that way that indicated he was well off into the land of the sleeping and getting an answer now would be next to impossible. _She'd have to ask him again tomorrow,_ she thought as the pull of sleep became impossible to resist and she gave in, following Michael into a peaceful sleep.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Kyle stretched out, taking up every available inch of space and soaking up the freedom to sprawl as he settled in for his last night of sleep in an actual bed for God only knew how long. He had no idea what was coming their way when they left the next morning, but whatever it was, he knew they could handle it. He yawned and rolled over, shuffling around and finding that perfect spot as his eyes began to drift closed.

He could picture the desert back home, the night air cold but far from the arctic and often negative temperatures that seemed so at home in the north. He missed home. Growing up he'd had dreams that would've taken him away from Roswell and he'd never thought twice about it. Hindsight's 20/20, boy, his grandfather had always said. Grandpa had been right. Of course, now that Dad and the others were all leaving, almost everything that had made Roswell home would be gone before long.

Home now meant wherever his family was; the friends, the family that drove him nuts and kept him sane on a daily basis. He snorted softly at that thought. Two sides of the same coin.

Michael, who had a tendency to react without thinking, although he was getting better on that front, the guy who treated him as an equal and who had taken to looking to him when making decisions. Trust.

Maria, who had a way of finding something positive in most situations, even though sometimes it took an effort to follow her train of thought, the slightly odd but always entertaining girl who found comfort in his comedic moments as much as the silent ones, the one who ran interference when things just got to be too much. Solace.

Max, who was about as uptight as anyone he'd ever come across, but who was also beginning to ease up a little now that he knew the truth about what had happened the night he'd caught him in bed with his future wife, the guy who was slowly coming to trust him. Solidarity.

Liz, ever the rational mind unless Max was involved, who managed to put things in perspective and keep things focused when things got rough, the girl who could laugh with him and commiserate over being different. Companionship.

And Isabel, the girl who in could turn him inside out with a look, infuriate him with a single word, and nearly drop him like a sack of rocks with her tears, she was the one who unknowingly held his heart, the girl who kept him going when it seemed like throwing in the towel might be an acceptable option. The one most easily understood and yet the most complicated and complex of all. Love.

He sighed quietly as he slipped into sleep, a smile on his lips as his thoughts lingered on Isabel.

Just a room away Isabel ran her fingertips over the framed photograph she had brought back with her from her childhood home. It had been a family picture, one Mom had insisted they have taken in an actual studio, and in spite of Max's grumbling and Dad insisting they could just take a picture at home, Mom had managed to get them all to the studio.

It was professional quality and the photographer had succeeded in making everyone appear very casual and relaxed. She placed it on the nightstand and ran her fingertips around the frame, feeling the slight notch on one side where it had been knocked over and landed on the hearth. She could so easily picture the momentary look of shock on Michael's face when he'd upended the photograph while he and Max had been horsing around one afternoon after school before their lives had gotten so complicated.

At the time she'd brushed off the fleeting look of fear she'd seen, certain she'd somehow had her wires crossed. Later, after learning the cruelty he'd endured at his foster father's hands, she'd recalled the picture incident and she'd had a better understanding of what she'd seen in his eyes. She'd never hated anyone before Hank, had never had any reason to. But what he'd done to Michael, no, she could never forgive that.

Her hand fell away from the photograph and she lay back on the bed, her eyes staring at the ceiling as she let her memories take her back to the day that monster had disappeared. She had asked Michael if he had done anything, had thought the worst, and it wasn't his immediate denial that she remembered most. No, it was the look in his eyes when faced with a question he'd never expected from someone he trusted; the reality that she had believed him capable of hurting someone, hurting them badly enough to make them disappear… capable of murder.

That look had stayed with her. A combination of shock, hurt, and disbelief, but it was the hurt that stood out most of all. She'd immediately denied it when he'd asked if she thought he'd done something to Hank, but they'd both known it was a lie. It had been written all over his face. She hadn't understood it at the time, still didn't fully understand it. The relationship between an abuser and the abused was something she wasn't sure she'd ever comprehend. She hated Hank, had ever since she'd learned what he was doing to Michael, but on the flipside, she'd never had the feeling that Michael hated him. His feelings for the man who was supposed to take care of him and had done everything but that were more complex. It was a conundrum and one she had a feeling could only be understood if a person had been through it.

Her gaze shifted back to the photograph of her family and warm feelings of home and family rushed through her. Maybe Michael didn't have that in his past but she had a feeling it was in his future. And with someone that at one time she had been so certain she had nothing in common with, could never speak to socially, much less befriend. That thought made her smile. Maria was the one she'd been so sure would crack under the pressure of the secret, but she had a quiet strength that she hadn't anticipated.

She looked at her mom's features and smiled as she recalled the conversation she'd had with Maria just before she'd freaked the other girl out by giving the air conditioner a burst of life to help break the sweltering heat in the car. _Moms,_ she thought. It was the one thing they'd had in common at the time. They'd come so far since that day.

She snuggled down under the covers and sighed contentedly as her sleepy mind wandered back to the visit with her parents that Kyle had made possible. She had known him most of her life. Not that they'd been friends most of that time, but they had run in the same social circles and they'd both been in the upper echelon of their cliques. She'd never thought much about him beyond the fact that he was the captain of every sport he was involved in and despite being a jock, was worthy of being acknowledged. Then of course when Max had healed Liz and things between them had started to grow Kyle had been determined to beat his rival.

He was so much more than that though. He was genuinely kind and caring, and he had become the best friend and confidant she'd ever had. She shook her head as she thought about all he'd been through with them. For them. He'd been shot, he'd been buried alive by alien crystals, he'd been betrayed by a girl he'd cared about, his dad had been stripped of his badge and lost his position as the Sheriff of Roswell, he'd lost his grandfather and never had the chance to say goodbye, and he'd been put on a list along with the rest of them to be hunted by a government-sanctioned organization.

Yet he kept his spirits up and he was a tower of strength for the rest of them. She wondered if there really was something to the Buddhist thing he was into. Happiness welled up in her as she thought about their visit with her parents the night before. It had been so unexpected and so unselfish and it meant so much to her that he'd done that for her.

The wind blew and she lifted her face to feel it, welcoming the warm breeze and even the fine grains of sand that brushed against her skin. Her eyes opened and she scanned the night sky, taking in the star strewn canvas. It was breathtaking and so familiar it nearly broke her heart. The wind stilled and she inhaled the warm air deeply, drawing in the familiar scents of the New Mexico desert.

She felt a familiar presence and she dropped her gaze, turning her head to look at the man standing beside her. His eyes were searching the arid landscape, his spirit so peaceful, and his expression contemplative. As he turned to look at her they both froze, staring at each other for the space of a heartbeat.

Isabel sat up, suddenly wide awake. She looked around the room in confusion and strained to hear Kyle's breathing as he slept just a room away. She lay back against the pillows when she heard him shift in bed and she released a quiet breath she didn't even know she'd been holding.

Kyle jerked upright, running his hand through his hair as he tried to figure out what was going on. He sat motionless for a moment, listening for Isabel, and lying back down when he identified the sound of her quiet breathing.

Unknown to them their thoughts were running in the same direction as they tried to figure out what the dream meant. There had to be an explanation, something to make sense of why the other person had appeared so vividly in their dream.

And nearby, Alex stood between their rooms, his keen unearthly hearing easily detecting their near-silent breathing as they each slipped back into a dreamless sleep. He smiled to himself as he watched over them. They didn't yet understand the significance of the dream, but he did. He'd patiently waited for this moment, knowing it was coming and anticipating its arrival. It was yet one more way Isabel and Kyle would complement and complete each other.


	62. Chapter 62

**Part 62**

Maria's eyes were locked on her reflection in the bathroom mirror as she finished applying her lipstick. She put the cap back on the tube and rubbed her lips together before presenting them for inspection and nodding to herself in satisfaction. Yep, she decided, she still had it. She reached over to drop the tube in her bag and gave herself one more onceover to make sure she was ready just as the front door shut again.

Even though Michael had done the majority of the packing the night before he was busy going over everything to make sure nothing was missed. He had gotten up early; not waking her until he'd showered, dressed, and put the coffee on. She knew he didn't want to uproot her from this place and take her back out on the road, but it was the reality that they lived with. It was a weight he would carry until he found a way for them to have a life somewhere without being hunted. Stevens Sanctuary had provided them with a safe haven, but they had all known it was only temporary. The inevitable could only be put off for so long.

Her fingertips ghosted along the soft sleeve of the emerald green sweater she had decided on for the day. She shook her head and her freshly washed and styled hair settled, cascading over her shoulders. She smiled at the final result, pleased with the way her hair framed her face and highlighted her lips. While listening to her boyfriend moving around as he made the final preparations for their impending departure, she had made a decision.

She had soaked up the heat from the shower and vowed to make this as easy for him as possible. She would dress for him, smile for him, and when he took her hand to exit the cabin she was going to leave with him as if they were going on a date rather than heading out into the unknown. She was ready to go, ready to face anything just as long as she had Michael at her side.

She stepped out of the bathroom and did a quick sweep of the cabin, noting that the sheets had been stripped from the bed and the kitchen had been cleaned before her eyes landed on the Christmas tree. She was surprised to see that the lights had been plugged in and even more surprised to see Michael standing between the tree and the door. The worn coat Edward had given him that first day when he'd gone to wait for the tow truck driver was settled comfortably on his shoulders and his hands were shoved deeply in the pockets of his jeans.

She watched as he pursed his lips for a moment before exhaling quietly and locking his eyes on hers. He looked away as he pulled one of his hands free of his pocket, lifting it to brush his eyebrow with his thumb. He caught himself before he could complete the motion and his hand eased back into his pocket, the move carefully controlled. She couldn't stop the blush in response to his reaction to her appearance and she turned her own head to the side for a moment to collect herself.

Michael watched her gaze move around for a moment before finally coming to rest on the tree and like a moth to a flame, the twinkling lights drew her to stand at its side. She reached out to ever so gently brush her fingertips over the tips of one of the branches and he had a feeling that if it was possible she'd be packing it up and taking it with them.

"I don't remember turning the lights on," she murmured after a moment. She was memorizing the wonder before her; the feeling of the pliant needles, the fragrance of them, the oddly sweet scent that emanated from the trunk, and the beauty of something so simple as a tree whose branches had been lovingly intertwined with gently blinking lights and handmade ornaments.

He shrugged. "Probably 'cause you didn't." He didn't look at her when she turned her head in his direction, letting his gaze rest on the tree as she had done just a moment ago as he gestured at it awkwardly. "I figured you'd wanna pack the ornaments so they didn't get lost or broken."

Her eyes were drawn to his hand when he jerked it back to shove it through his hair before it returned to his pocket. She couldn't help wondering about it. She couldn't remember a time she'd ever seen him without any of his rings. He'd mentioned leaving it up at the house the night before but he hadn't seemed concerned about it in the least. They were probably his most prized possession and if they left the way he'd planned, he wouldn't have the opportunity to get them from the house.

"Here, I got the boxes they came in."

She accepted the first box and moved around the tree in search of the Santa ornament, carefully unhooking it and wrapping it in the tissue before easing it back into the box. She closed the lid and gave the box a shake, satisfied when it didn't move around too much. She held it out to him, trading one for the other and reaching for the next ornament only to pull her hand back when it wasn't where she had hung it.

"Well, where's…" she trailed off as she scanned the branches, smiling to herself when she finally located it. "There you are." She stretched up her tiptoes, using both hands to unhook it from the branch when it felt a little heavier than it had when she put it up. She carefully brought it down, blindly reaching for the tissue paper in the box Michael was still holding, and freezing when it reached eye level and the lights from the tree reflected off of the silver band dangling on the hook beside the snowflake.

Michael couldn't look away from her, mesmerized by the emotions racing across her animated features. He forced his body to remain motionless while he waited for her to speak, refusing to give in to the urge to fidget nervously.

"Michael…" His name was a whisper on her lips as she turned to face him fully, lifting her eyes to him and feeling her heart pound in response to the possessive look he wore.

"Wear my ring."

Only three words, yet she clearly heard the question, the demand, the declaration of love, the hope for a positive response, and the fear of rejection all rolled into them. Three little words and they carried so much weight. Three little words and they deserved a response just as powerful.

"Yes."

His arms opened to catch her when she threw herself at him, knowing without question that he would catch her. Her response was more than he had dared to hope for as her mouth crashed into his and he soaked up the love and acceptance emanating from her embrace.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Max slouched down on the couch and propped his feet on the coffee table, his eyes resting on the sealed envelope he held. Their bags were packed and waiting by the door and they had already checked the cabin several times over to make sure everything belonging to them had been packed and that they hadn't missed anything while cleaning up after themselves.

Liz was taking her time in the shower and he wasn't inclined to rush her. They were still running ahead of schedule, even accounting for Michael's impatient nudging of the clock. It wouldn't be long before he was at their front door, but it would be long enough. He wasn't in any hurry personally. They were packed, the cabin had been cleaned, and he was just waiting for his wife to get ready to hit the road.

_His wife._ He smiled at that thought and his gaze dropped to his wedding band, catching himself unconsciously turning it on his finger with his thumb. How many times had he walked in on his dad while he was working on a case and caught him doing the exact same thing? Most of the time Dad had been caught up in his work, his thumb working his ring unconsciously, but once in a while Dad would be completely lost in thought, his eyes unfocused as he stared at his ring with a mysterious smile on his face.

He understood it now. Oh, their thoughts were probably completely different but he had a feeling if they were to ever vocalize them, there would be some pretty similar parallels. He could picture Mom sitting close by or standing in the doorway, a soft smile on her face as she watched Dad. His parents had always been close, attentive to each other, verbally and physically affectionate, and while that had grossed him out for a good part of his life growing up, he had eventually grown to appreciate it and hope to have that in his own relationship one day.

He had that with Liz and he had a feeling as the years passed those feelings would only deepen and hopefully they would expand to include children. His throat suddenly felt tight and he forced down the lump that had come out of nowhere as he thought about her words the night before. She had accepted his son; she had called Zan their son and asked about maybe one day being able to bring him home.

Could it ever be possible? Or was it a dream that would always remain just out of reach? He gnawed on his bottom lip as he considered the possibilities. A home somewhere, probably up in Canada, a decent job, and his family together. Right now that family was the people he was about to pile in the van with, but if one day he was able to have his parents and Zan back in his life… He swallowed hard. He'd never let them go again.

"Max?"

He turned his head to look at Liz and he shook his head at her. "It's not fair for you to look that good when we're about to have an antsy hybrid beating down our front door."

Liz smoothed her hands over the sides of the black turtleneck before hooking the thumb of her left hand in the back pocket of her black jeans. She dropped her head slightly and looked up at him through her eyelashes when he stood to cross the room and stand in front of her. His hands came up to frame her face and he was lowering his head to kiss her when the anticipated pounding on the front door started.

He paused for a heartbeat, his eyes lifting to hers and a slow smile graced his features when she giggled. The sound was so lighthearted, so carefree, and it took him back to when things had been so much simpler. Maybe they didn't know what they were heading into, but whatever it was, he swore to make the best of it. They were going to have their life together. They were going to have their normal. He didn't know how, but they were going to do it. The persistent knocking sounded again but he chose to ignore it for a moment longer. "Told you," he mumbled against her lips.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Isabel ran her hands over her suitcase one more time before nodding and closing it, snapping the clasps closed and carrying it out of her bedroom. Kyle passed her, stuffing his face with another cookie, and took the suitcase from her. He carried it over and set it down beside the front door on his way into his own room.

"You aren't finished packing yet?" she asked, following him and frowning when she spotted the open suitcase lying on his bed.

"I've got it under control," he mumbled around the cookie he was busy chewing up.

She cringed when he wiped his hand on his jeans and she could swear she heard cookie crumbs dancing across the floor. She was shaking her head when he pulled the top dresser drawer free and turned to dump its contents into the suitcase.

"Um, Kyle…" He didn't intend to actually pack his things that way, did he?

"Um-hmm." He lined up the drawer and slid it back in before yanking out the next one and repeating the process all over again. He was well aware of every cringe that passed across her features, the fingernails that were digging into her palms and the disbelieving stare as she watched his every move. It was driving her nuts and he knew it. She'd be certifiable in no time.

"You'll get a much better fit for your things if you pack them differently." Isabel tried not to stare at the mismatched socks mixing in with everything else.

"I've been takin' care of myself long enough to know what does and doesn't work, Sugar Muffin."

"That name stays here, Kyle Valenti, do you understand me?"

He reached up to place a hand over his heart. "It deeply wounds me that you don't care for my pet name."

Isabel smiled slowly. "I'm not your pet and if you continue with this nonsense when we leave this cabin you will be deeply wounded."

"What's wrong with pet names?" He refrained from giving her the onceover in spite of the desire to do so. "Babe, baby, honey," he made a rolling motion with his hand. "You get the picture."

She nodded to herself. "I see, and which of those names would you like to be called?"

"Me?" He snorted and tossed the last of his clothes in the case and slammed it shut. "I'm a guy, we don't need pet names."

"But you think women do?"

He shrugged. "It's just more acceptable. What?" He held his hands up when he caught the glare she was sending in his direction. "I didn't make the rules. That's just the way it is."

"And since you're not the kinda guy who necessarily does things simply because it's what's accepted, you won't be maintaining that stance on pet names once we pull out of this driveway, will you?" She lifted an eyebrow when he seemed to be considering his options. "I can't imagine that Buddha would approve. Can you picture him calling any woman 'babe' or 'baby' or 'honey'?"

Kyle made a face. "I think that question might be somehow sacrilegious."

"This from a man who I know for a fact has prayed to get laid on a Friday night."

He grabbed his suitcase and carried it into the main room, tossing it to land right next to hers by the front door. "I've never claimed to be a saint. What do you think the chances are we can talk Michael into stoppin' at the first McDonalds we pass?"

"I'd say all he had for breakfast was coffee so it probably won't be too hard to convince him."

"Perfect, I could go for a breakfast platter right about now." He looked around and slapped his hands together. "Okay, I think we're about ready to roll. Just need to do a final sweep and make my room look like it's ready for a couple eight- or nine-year-olds and we'll be on our way." He hooked a thumb over his shoulder when a barrage of knocking alerted them to Michael's arrival. "And I'll just haul our stuff out and get it situated while you do that."

She rolled her eyes at him as he hurried to get into his coat and let him in and she smirked slightly when Michael neatly sidestepped him to avoid the suitcase he tried to hand off.

"Aren't you ready yet?" he growled as he gave Kyle a shove out the door. He ignored the sound of tripping, hissed swearing, and the final thump as the luggage was sacrificed in order for Kyle to maintain his footing.

"No problem, Sugar Muffin," he hollered back through the still open front door, "it's kinda like the three-second rule. I'll have your underwear outta the snow in no time and they'll be fit to wear." He grinned to himself as he collected the suitcases that hadn't opened and lugged them over to the van.

"How is it she hasn't killed you yet?" Max asked from his position. He was leaning up against the back of the van with the tailgate raised. "Seriously, I'd like to know."

Kyle shrugged and grinned. "How'd she get you into tights and an elf hat? She's Isabel."

"Yeah," he crossed his arms over his chest, "that really doesn't answer the question."

"It really bothers you, doesn't it?" He laughed and shook his head. "Some things are just a mystery, Evans. You're gonna have to deal with it and move on." He hauled Isabel's suitcase up into the back, shoving it in between the others and putting his shoulder into it to make it fit when he suddenly had a thought. He turned to hurry back inside. "Evans, finish this so I can…" His words faded into nothing as he ran as fast as he could, trying to get there before she finished changing his room back and found that stupid clown doll.

Max smirked when he heard his sister scream and before the words had the chance to evaporate on the air Kyle's name was shouted and he could hear the ire in her voice. "Yeah, let's see you walk away from this one without a mark, Secretary Boy," he muttered and reached for the second suitcase to toss it inside. He'd known Kyle was just waiting for the right opportunity to spring that creepy clown doll on Isabel, but somehow he had the feeling this wasn't what the guy had been planning.

Michael stepped out on the porch and snapped his fingers to get Max's attention. "Hey, you wanna get your head outta the clouds and focus? Get the girls and get in here. There's somethin' we need to discuss before we roll outta here."

"Another meeting?" Isabel muttered under her breath, her heart still pounding from the unexpected scare. She turned her head to glare at the clown, hating the way the painted mouth and too large eyes seemed to be mocking her.

"Yes, another meeting, wife of mine," Kyle said cheerfully as he threw himself down on the loveseat.

"Our divorce will be finalized in a matter of minutes so soak it up."

"Oh, I am." He grinned at her and reached over to grab one of the small pillows, placing it on his lap just as a safety precaution.

Isabel shook her head at him. "You do realize with one look I could decimate that pillow and anything else I choose, right?"

Kyle glanced down at the pillow and then at Michael. "Can she do that?"

"That was an indirect threat to your stones, does it matter?"

"Good point."

"Alright, we're all here," Max said as he ushered the girls inside and closed the door behind them. "What's up?"

"Just a quick pre-departure meeting," Michael answered. "We've had a little time off the road; time to decompress, time to fix some things that were well past their maintenance date, and time to make peace with past issues and our current situation. We're getting ready to get back in the van and head out into the unknown." His gaze moved around the room. "Again. We don't have any control over that and we don't have any control over what might happen. What we do have control over is how we handle any situations that arise as a result."

Kyle raised a hand, more in a bid for recognition than permission. "Is this about whether we're gonna handle decisions as a group?"

"Yes and no."

"We handle decisions as a group," Max spoke up. "We're all in this together and it's only right that everyone has a say in everyday things. But we need a clear chain of command if it all goes to hell and we have to make a decision at a moment's notice." He glanced at Michael and nodded. "You've carried the weight of pretty much every decision since we left and that hasn't been fair to you." He smiled slightly. "And at times it hasn't been fair to anyone else either."

"I'll second that," Kyle muttered under his breath.

Michael shot a penetrating glare around the room when the response drew quiet laughter from the girls.

"But for the most part you've been right. I don't know if it's genetic or what, but you've got a head for that stuff, so I say if it all goes to hell you call the shots."

Kyle nodded and his tone was serious when he said, "I'll second that too."

The girls all responded affirmatively and then Liz looked at Michael as she voiced the question that had to be asked. "And if something happens and you're unable to make that call?"

He looked at Max, waiting to see what he would say.

He was silent for several minutes before he came to a decision. "If it comes to that Kyle's qualified to make the call." He shook his head when the man in question cleared his throat. "Since we left Roswell you've been Michael's right hand. He's looked to you when he needed a second opinion, to bounce ideas off of, and you've never faltered. Tactically, you're the best choice as his backup. Now that we've cleared the air and I've got my head on straight, you might wanna look out 'cause I'll be paying a lot more attention to tactics and maneuvers than I ever have before."

Kyle nodded and leaned forward to shake Max's hand. "I look forward to the challenge, El Presidente."

"Okay, let's get outta here before you two decide to hug it out and I lose my appetite," Michael growled. He took Maria's hand and headed for the door, rolling his eyes at the turn the meeting had taken. He glanced up at the sky, taking in the streaks of predawn that were beginning to appear. If they were going to make it to the highway before the Stevens family were up and about they needed to move now. He wasn't interested in dragging out their goodbyes. As far as he was concerned they'd already been said and it was best for all of them if they didn't have to go over it again.

"I kinda thought we'd at least wait until daylight to make a break for it," Maria said as she slid into the front passenger's seat. She glanced at Michael when he grabbed the steering wheel and started to climb in behind it, biting back the giggle that threatened to break free when he immediately backed out again and glared at her over the console.

"What'd we say about the driver's seat?" he growled.

"That only the driver can change the seating position," Kyle responded dutifully as he piled in the very back next to Isabel.

Michael shot a look at him. "No one asked for your input, Secretary Boy."

"Thanks for that, Evans." The grumbled response was only for show because the new nickname had put a smile on Isabel's face. He'd let it pass. For now. He could always address it later.

"Well, I was sitting in the driver's seat," Maria said as she reached for the map to study it since he insisted on holding the door open.

He huffed in annoyance and reached down to jerk on the lever so he could push the seat back, ignoring Max's indignant protest when it invaded his legroom. "I suppose it's a safe bet you've already adjusted the radio too," he grunted as he landed in the seat and adjusted it again, this time to his satisfaction.

"I didn't think your choice was any way to start the morning." She continued viewing the map, easily feeling his stupefied gaze on her as he reached for the ignition and came up empty handed. Without looking at him she lifted her right hand and jingled the keys.

"Maria…" he growled warningly.

"Michael…" she teased, her lips lifting in a smile when she finally looked at him.

"Can we please just go?" Isabel pleaded from the back. "I can't handle the two of you flirting first thing in the morning."

Kyle dropped his head back against the seat and closed his eyes as he crossed his arms over his chest and shifted around to get comfortable. "Well, at least you don't have to worry about losing your breakfast." He opened one eye to look at her. "You guys don't do that, right?"

Isabel lifted one perfect eyebrow as she slowly turned her head to look at him. "We don't do what?"

"Puke, barf, toss your cookies, blow chow, hurl, spew…" He just grinned when she narrowed her eyes at him. "No?"

Liz turned in her seat to look at Isabel. "I don't think anyone would protest if you wanted to gag him for a while."

"Um, hello?" Kyle raised his hand. "I'd protest."

She grinned and shook her head. "But you'd be gagged and I'm sure if Isabel was the one who silenced you there would be no protesting because it wouldn't be an option."

"Fine, shutting up. Let's head 'em up and roll 'em out, El Capitan!"

Michael and Maria exchanged a look as he slid the key into the ignition and turned it. He exhaled slowly when the engine came to life without the slightest hint of protest and he checked their surroundings one more time before putting the van in gear and heading up the driveway. All they had to do was make it past the main house and they were home free.

"My grandma drove faster than this," Kyle muttered under his breath. He slid further down in his seat when Michael's eyes locked on him in the rearview mirror. _There was no proof that any of the hybrids could actually shoot laser beams from their eyes, but better to be safe than sorry,_ he thought. He glanced up at Isabel and he caught her wistful gaze as it lingered on the cabin that would soon be a memory and without thinking about it he reached over and took her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"You're doing fine," Maria said quietly as she placed a hand on her boyfriend's tense arm. She felt him relax fractionally as he navigated the driveway, knowing how intimidating it was for someone who had grown up in a desert climate to drive in the wintry conditions. He would never admit it, but she knew it without him having to say a word. She also knew how much he wanted to escape without running into the Stevens' family, but the moment the porch light snapped on that flew out the window.

"It would appear our plan to escape without detection has just gone up in smoke," Liz said, trying hard not to laugh when she heard Michael's heavy sigh.

"It'd be rude to just drive by and not stop," Isabel put her two cents in.

"Oh, and look, there's George." Maria tugged on his arm. "Isabel's right, and it'd just be for a minute or two, Michael." She smiled when she saw Maggie appear next to her daddy, her hand held in his as she waved her free hand to get their attention. "And I know for a fact you can't resist your little Princess."

"Alright, alright, we'll stop, but just for a minute, and no one gets outta the van."

She faked a stern expression and looked at him as she snapped off a salute. "Aye aye, Captain." Of course, then she ruined it by giggling and was immediately joined by Liz and Isabel.

Michael grumbled under his breath as he slowed the van to a stop in front of the house just in time for Julia to come out behind them. She was wearing a coat in deference to the weather, but it was apparent by her sleeping clothes visible below it that she had been in a hurry and hadn't taken the time to get dressed. Brian wasn't far behind her, carrying a box in his hands, and Eddie was nowhere to be seen yet. This was just great, he fumed. He'd had everything set for a clean getaway; no messy goodbyes, no weepy girls, none of those uncomfortable 'moments', and especially no tears in a certain little girl's eyes. But no. No, that would've been too easy.

Max leaned forward and placed his hand on Michael's shoulder. "Easy," he murmured, "I've got this." He nodded at his wife and Liz reached for the handle, pulling it and putting her weight behind it as she gave the side door a push so that it slid open just as Julia reached them.

"Maggie and I made lunch for you," she said, motioning for her oldest son to join her. "You've got a decent drive ahead of you and you'll probably want to stop for lunch at some point. There are ham and turkey sandwiches, some drinks," she smiled at Michael, "a Snapple for Santa's special friend, and some of Santa's Christmas cookies as well."

"We appreciate it," Max said as he placed a hand under the box that had been handed up to Liz, balancing it and taking it from her so he could pass it back to Kyle. "Here, find a home for that."

Edward could hear the slight hitch in Julia's voice and he knew she was trying to force down the sadness she felt at their guests leaving. He cleared his throat to get Brian's attention and as soon as the boy turned to look at him he nodded, letting him know to join him. He handed George off to his son and lifted his sleepy little girl up into his arms, settling her against his side as he took the few steps down to join his wife. As much as she had wanted to come out to see their guests off she was having a hard time staying awake and her eyes closed about the same time her head landed on his shoulder. He took Julia's hand just as she sniffed and cleared her throat so she could speak.

"Maggie made one for your friend as well."

Liz smiled at the thoughtful gesture. "That's so sweet of you." She only wished that Alex was there to enjoy the sandwich. "Thank you."

"I know you kids need to get goin'," Edward said before things could be drawn out any longer. He could tell Michael was itching to get on the road and as for himself, well, he liked the kids and had enjoyed their company, but he was ready to have things fall back into their normal routine.

After everyone had said their goodbyes one last time Max and Liz reached for the door at the same time and they looked at each other when their hands collided. After a moment they started to laugh and Max held his hands up and moved to drop back into his seat.

"You know what, I think me and my hand will stay away from the door while you shut it."

"Are you gonna remind me of that every time I close this door?"

"Not every time, no," he said with a teasing grin.

"Can we go now?" Michael growled.

"On the road again, just can't wait to get on the road again…" Kyle sang.

"KYLE!"

He rolled his eyes and slouched down in his seat when the rest of the van's occupants shared their lack of enthusiasm for his singing abilities.

Standing next to his wife, Edward chuckled quietly. "That is one vanload you couldn't pay me to take a road trip with."

"Oh, Edward," Julia chastised with a small laugh.

Michael was easing his foot off of the brake, ready to finally hit the end of the driveway and get on the road when the front door banged shut. He buried the flinch he could feel wanting to break free between his shoulder blades at the sound and kept his eyes focused on the snow-blanketed driveway. His gaze dropped to Maria's hand when it suddenly settled on his arm and he caught a blur of movement from the corner of his eye.

"Michael, wait."

In spite of his desire to keep going and make their escape he deferred to the request in her tone and the muscles in his leg tightened in response, depressing the brake and once again stopping the van. His back teeth were grinding with impatience as his eyes shifted to the boy and he gave an internal sigh when he saw the boy hold up the guitar case he was carrying. A few words that he couldn't make out were exchanged and a soft smile settled on Julia's face as she turned to look at Edward and spoke for a moment. The man's features gentled and he said something to her just before they turned back to their son and nodded.

The boy rushed over to the van, his steps eager yet cautious as he maneuvered the frozen ground. "I'm so glad you haven't left yet," he said breathlessly.

"Hey!" Michael made a grab for Maria's arm when she reached for the door handle. "No one gets outta the van, remember?"

She flashed a smile at him. "Extenuating circumstances and I'll only be a quick minute."

The light from the overhead dome light glinted off of the silver ring she wore on her left hand and he bit back the sharp protest that was lodged on his tongue. The sight of the ring, his ring, residing there caused a myriad of emotions that he didn't care to examine too closely to roll through him. He released a pent-up breath and nodded. "Fine, but hurry it up." The words were more for show than anything else because she was already on her way out of the van.

Maria closed the door, conscious of Eddie's awkwardness and seeing no reason to broadcast it. She could see him struggling to get his words out, an effort that was no doubt impeded by his older brother standing close by, watching him like a hawk.

"We… I mean, I…" the boy's voice cracked and his cheeks flushed when his brother snickered behind him. Instead of trying to repair his first speaking attempt he shoved the guitar case towards her. "Somethin' for the road. Thought maybe you'd like some music on the ride. Merry Christmas."

Maria hesitated to accept the guitar. "Eddie, that's your first guitar." She was touched by the offer, but she knew how important the instrument was to him. How important it would be to any musician. "It's a very special thing to hold onto." She stopped the flow of words when she caught his anxious demeanor, his fear that she wouldn't accept his gift. Rather than continue her current direction, she altered her response. "Are you sure?"

He smiled at her, his relief palpable. "I'm sure," he whispered, his movements a little more sure as he held the case out and she accepted it this time. He felt his face heat up when her fingers brushed his as she took possession of the guitar case.

"This's such a thoughtful gift and I'll always treasure it." She leaned forward to give him a kiss on the cheek, not commenting when the perpetual blush he wore around her deepened. "Keep singing, playing and writing music, Eddie." She patted the case with her free hand. "Thank you, and Merry Christmas." Once again she said goodbye to his family who were all still waiting to see them off and her eyes misted. "Thank you all."

From the drivers' seat Michael could see the change in her posture and he knew if he could see her face there would be fresh tears in her eyes that were just waiting to spill over. He leaned over, stretching his right arm out to grab the door handle and shove the door open. "C'mon, Dorothy, load Toto up and let's head for Kansas."

Max opened the sliding door to accept the guitar when she responded to Michael's gruff but gentle prodding. He handed it back to Kyle, letting Secretary Boy deal with the logistics of finding space for the case. He settled back into his seat and reached up to rap his knuckles against the roof of the van when Maria's door finally closed again. "We're good to go."

Michael squeezed Maria's hand when she reached for him and after a moment, when he was sure she had herself under control, he placed their joined hands on his thigh. He glanced out through her window, his eyes locking with Eddie's for a few seconds before he shot one of his patented Guerin smiles at him. He looked up, checking the rearview mirror and taking just a moment to let his gaze move over his family, and assured that they were ready to go, his foot eased up on the brake and they headed for the end of the driveway.

The silence was heavy, but contemplative rather than oppressive as they finally reached the end of the driveway and turned onto Old US 23. They were each lost in their thoughts and at the back of the van Kyle had to bite his tongue to keep from commenting on Maria having no idea what she'd just done to Eddie. He could save it for later; just another bit of ammunition for his arsenal. One just never knew when some tense moment would need to be broken by a bit of comedy.

"Okay, when're we stopping to grab breakfast?" he asked as he rubbed his hands together in anticipation. "I could seriously use a breakfast platter from Mickey D's about now."

"We're not," Michael decided and went on before a protest could break out. "Have a sandwich. Maxwell, where're we goin'?"

"That didn't feel like a very democratic vote to me," Kyle grumbled. "I'm pretty sure this isn't a case where it's all gone to hell and you're calling the shots."

"Is the breakfast platter that important to you?"

He turned his head to look at Isabel. "It's the principal of the matter, and yes, it is." His stomach growled, lending veracity to his claim.

Michael glanced up in the rearview mirror, listening to the conversation with half an ear while Max worked on pulling out the contents of the envelope. "Have a sandwich, Valenti."

"Okay," Max said after dumping the contents out in his lap and sorting through them, "we've got IDs, a couple maps, a license plate, a bumper sticker," he raised an eyebrow and showed it to Liz, "and what looks like an address."

"Well, if there are plates we'll need to switch them out with the ones on the van, right?" Isabel asked.

"Yeah," Michael shook his head at her reflection, "and it'll take all of two minutes."

"Then what would it hurt to stop at a McDonalds and order breakfast before we get on the road? I'm kinda in the mood for a McMuffin."

"I wouldn't mind some pancakes," Liz said, smiling at the bumper sticker she was holding.

"Breakfast Burrito," Max said as he leaned over the seat to hand the maps to Maria since she had been the primary navigator during their time on the road.

Michael rolled his eyes at the breakfast discussion and he sighed in annoyance when his stomach grumbled in response, reminding him that he hadn't eaten breakfast yet either.

"Probably couldn't hurt to just run through the drive-thru and pick something up before we get underway," Maria murmured for his ears only. "They're cheap and quick, and we could be back on the road in practically no time."

"Fine, Maria's hungry so we're gonna make a quick pit-stop," Michael announced. "Maxwell, how long does it take to read an address? Where're we goin'?"

Max chuckled at the impatience in his tone. "Toronto. Looks like we're headed to Toronto."


End file.
